Chapter 20
(Author's note: For this chapter the perspective shifts from Arakai's POV to that of General Fendua, followed by that of Count Dooku.)
"Attention!" a sergeant called as Mira entered the command center. Immediately, every clone was on his feet.
"At ease soldiers," she said, then, turning to the sergeant, ordered, "Contact the Council; I have important information to discuss with them."
"Sir, yes sir!"
She moved to the holomap in the middle of the room. Behind her the door opened. Nick's angry stomps could be heard by everyone.
"Are you still troubled by the escape?"
"Still?" Nick was surprised, "How can you ask if I'm still upset about something that only happened five minutes ago?"
"You must let it go. He is gone for now, but we will see him again. At present we must prepare for the next engagement. Remember that though we still have yet to learn of their location, they are well aware of ours."
"That's not gonna stay that way for long," Nick half grinned as he said it.
"Oh?" Mira was pleasantly surprised, "Have our scouts returned with new intel?"
"Better. When I was prepping the speeder for that worthless rat I hitched a tracker to it. He doesn't know it but he's leading us right to them."
"This is good news. But with such a success, why are you still angry?"
"We still shouldn't have let that bantha fodder get away in the first place."
"You should refrain from superfluous insults, commander. They'll only further aggravate you."
"Yeah, well, maybe I like being aggravated."
"General," the sergeant called, "The Council will see you now."
"Thank you sergeant," Mira answered, "We shall continue this another time."
She exited the command center and entered the com room. The Jedi High Council was displayed via hologram before her.
"Master Fendua," Yoda began, "Important information, you have?"
"Yes, master. We halted a separatist advance and captured one of their officers… but he escaped during my interrogation."
The surprise was very evident in the faces of the other jedi. Mace Windu spoke up, "During your interrogation?"
"Yes master."
"And how did he manage that?"
"He managed to slip out of the binders somehow and disarmed me before I had fully realized what had happened."
"So you mean to tell me," Windu's skepticism was unmistakeable, "that he just stood up, and took your lightsaber, without you even noticing?"
"I was deeply concentrating on the Force, master. I was having difficulty connecting to it. That's why I requested to speak with you. As long as I was near him I lost my abilities, but as soon as he left they returned in full. I don't think that is a coincidence."
The surprise turned to confusion and disturbance. Several Council members began murmuring to one another.
"This man," Plo Koon spoke up, "What is his name?"
"I only know his first name. It's Arakai."
"Perhaps he made use of the dark side to block you," Koon suggested.
"Not likely," she replied, "His knowledge of the jedi was limited and he didn't recognize the mind trick I attempted to use. It's difficult to think he could be a Force user."
"How can you be certain it wasn't a mere coincidence?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked.
"I just know it. When I walked into the room I felt a complete separation from the Force."
"Long have dark forces been at play without our knowledge," Yoda spoke up again, "More and more dangerous they have become. Who this man is or where he came from, without more information, know for certain, we cannot. But prepare for the threats like these, we can. Look more into this, I will. To the library I will go."
"Thank you for your report, Master Fendua," Windu closed, "I want you to make it your highest priorty to recapture this "Arakai" alive. If we are ever to understand him or his apparent ability, we will need to question him further. This is a high security matter. No one that the Council doesn't trust is cleared to know this. We are adjourned."
With that the hologram faded. Mira breathed a heavy sigh. Capturing Arakai would not be easy. They had been lucky the first time. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
Dooku sat silently in his meditation chamber. A sith artifact lay before him. He had been concentrating on it, connecting to it, learning from it. But his session was disturbed by a B1 entering the room with a holo-disk in its hand.
"Sir, you have an incoming transmission."
Dooku called the disk to his hand with the force. "Leave," he said. The droid nodded and walked away. Dooku activated the disk and a hologram of a Sith Lord appeared before him.
"What is they bidding, my master?" Dooku asked, bowing his head.
"We have a situation. A rather informative jedi has alerted me to the presence of powerful individual among your ranks," the sith answered.
"And what kind of 'powerful individual' do you speak of?" Dooku questioned again.
"From his description I can only assume this man is anti-sensitive to the force," his master smiled, "A rare condition found in about one in every six trillion. Standing in his presence will negate your connection to the force."
"What causes this 'anti-sensitivity'?" Dooku inquired.
"Until now it has only been spoken of in legend. This would be the first confirmed case in galactic history. I want you to find this man, 'Arakai' by name, and show him how to use his power to his advantage."
"It shall be done, my lord."
"Good. You can find him on the inner rim world of Deralex. This matter is of paramount importance," the sith warned, "This man could prove to be a great asset to us. Do not fail."
The hologram faded. Dooku breathed heavily. Could this be what we need to end this war once and for all? he thought. Standing up he went to the bridge and called to a droid commander.
"Search our database for the commanding officer of the attack force on Deralex" he ordered, "Let me know if you find someone named Arakai."