Ahhhhh...Part one in the Slaves of the Republic arc...
I'm so excited.
By the way, I sincerely apologize, this would have been done sooner...had video games not distracted me...I sorry :( I scolded myself earlier.
Thanks for the reviews guys :D :D
Please review again!
Enjoy!
(Two weeks ago)
After the battle over Umbara, Zelina had been moved to the Jedi Temple to complete her healing process. She was just about ready to be cleared, finally reaching the end of her recovery time and ready to get out of medical bays.
However, she'd known that coming back to the Jedi Temple meant that she'd run into Anakin, and running into Anakin meant that she was going to have to deal with the torrents that had built up since the entire Krell incident. From the moment she was brought within view of the Jedi Temple, she was expecting Anakin to materialize and bombard her; surprisingly, he didn't materialize until after she'd been settled in.
Points for restraint.
The moment the last Jedi Healer left Zelina's room, Anakin burst inside. "Zelina! Are you all right?"
"No, I'm in the medical ward, I'm bored out of my mind," Zelina said humorously as Anakin bolted to the side of her bed. His gaze roved over her form, his eyes probing for signs of her injuries. Thankfully, it would be in vain. There were no more immediately visible signs of her injuries, though by the way he eyed her leg he must have already known that it had been broken.
Anakin gave her a dirty look and sat down beside her bed. "That's not funny, not right now. Rex and some of the others already told me what happened; Zelina, you almost died."
Zelina sighed. "I'm fine, Anakin, really, you don't need to worry about me."
"What I've heard says differently," Anakin said in a sharp, stern voice. "Rex told me that Krell had you down and the men thought you'd been killed until you suddenly stood up like someone had pulled you up...what happened out there?"
Zelina chewed on her lip, staring at her hands for a few moments. "It's hard to explain..."
"Zelina, please," Anakin said gently, tipping her head towards him by placing two of his fingers under her chin. "I almost lost you out there...I need to know what happened."
After the silence hung between them for several long moments, Zelina finally spoke. "I'll tell you, but don't interrupt until I'm finished, all right?" Once she had Anakin's nod of confirmation, she continued. "Yes, Krell did have me down, and I was actually waiting for him to finish me off because with my broken leg and how hard of a hit I'd taken, I didn't think I could gather myself again in time. I figured he'd finish me off before I could stand, and he had plenty of time to do just that as I couldn't get back up. In fact, I heard someone approaching me and I thought it was Krell...until I realized the footsteps were too light to be Krell, to light to even be the troopers..."
When Zelina trailed off and didn't finished, Anakin spoke up to press for more. "Who was it?"
To Anakin's surprise, Zelina's lips twitched towards a smile. "The Force gave me another vision, and I saw Luke. He crouched down in front of me, offered me his hand, and told me 'On your feet, soldier. You're not dying on me now.' I took his hand and I suddenly felt my strength return and my injuries became bearable. He pulled me to my feet and before I could speak or even let go of his hand he disappeared and I was back in the middle of the battle."
Anakin sat in stunned silence for several long moments, staring at her leg in silence. "I'm guessing I'm the only one you've told this to?" Anakin asked after the long silence. Zelina snorted.
"You think I'm going to tell the Council I had a vision of your future son?" she asked pointedly.
"Right," Anakin said with a grimace. "What did the Council say? I mean, you did kill a Jedi Master..."
"A corrupt Jedi Master," Zelina corrected. "They're letting it slide since he was the one committing treason; I have a whole base of men who will back me up on that claim. No promotions or special awards or any type of humbug though, before you ask; just a pat on the back for doing a good deed for the Republic."
"Hmph," Anakin huffed, folding his arms over his chest. "If you ask me you at least deserve a promotion; it's obvious now that your skills are enough to defeat a once-Jedi Master, you ought to be made one yourself."
Zelina was already shaking her head. "I had some interference from the Force and the help of the men whenever I was down. It wasn't all just me, and considering the near-death and the intervention, I think I'm happy staying where I'm at as Knight; I wouldn't take the promotion if they offered it to me because I don't think I'd deserve it."
Anakin rolled his eyes. "Well, if it counts for anything, I think you do deserve it for what you just did and went through."
Zelina chuckled a little. "You know, with everything that happened, I was expecting you to come in here ranting and raving about Krell and questioning how a Jedi Master working for the Separatists slipped past everyone's notice."
Anakin's expression darkened. "Oh believe me; I'm still very upset about that. However, you're more important to me than Krell, so you get priority."
Zelina nodded. "Listen, I think Fives and Jesse deserve a much better thanks for what they did than Krell gave them...Just so you know. I don't think finding themselves at the receiving end of a firing squad is a proper reward for their actions. It was those two that went behind Krell's back to help a few of my men take down the supply ship above Umbara."
Anakin nodded. "I'll see that they get proper recognition...so...you really saw Luke again?"
Zelina chuckled. "Yeah...ever since I found out who he is, he's been appearing fully grown; no more little child Luke visions...He looks a lot like you. I thought he was you with my first vision."
Anakin beamed at the tidbit of information. "I'm still trying to get used to the fact I'm going to have a son. It's strange, thinking that Padme and I are going to have a child in the future...I haven't given that much thought considering our situation, but I'm still excited. I wonder when he'll come..."
Zelina gave him a weak smile. "Well, try not to rush it. Every time I see him I get a sense of instability, like the events around him aren't exactly the happiest."
The smile faded from Anakin's face. "You know...I hate it when you say that..."
Zelina shrugged. "I can't help it, it's just something that come from the visions with him. And I still haven't forgotten the warning that he gave me back on Mortis."
"I haven't either," Anakin said quietly. "I just wish you're visions of him weren't so foreboding."
"I do too Ani..." Zelina told him quietly. "I do too..."
(Present)
"All clear sir; there are no separatist craft in the system."
Obi-Wan Kenobi only frowned as the officer reported over the communications system, turning away from the viewscreen that displayed to him the planet of Kiros. Anakin Skywalker gave one last look at the planet before turning to join him. "It's been ten rotations since Master Yoda's last transmission; I just hope we're not too late."
Obi-Wan didn't answer him. Instead, he turned to the man in front of him. "Rex, take us down; and send our destination coordinates to General Du'ahn."
Rex snapped to attention. "Yes sir."
Zelina was restless by the time she'd caught up to Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka's group. As they all sped along on speeder bikes (with Ahsoka in a sidecar on Anakin's bike, much to Zelina's amusement), Zelina couldn't help but notice that it was unnaturally quiet in the town, like all life had been devoid from the area. The other's seemed to stick to the first assumption that everyone was hiding, but with a quick probe in the Force Zelina couldn't help but notice she didn't sense anything outside of the natural wildlife.
Well, she could sense someone with malicious intents up in the highest building, and there were several spots throughout the village that Zelina got a sense of faint danger. As they collectively raced towards the tallest building, Zelina couldn't help but wonder if she was the only one who had bothered to probe around with the Force.
Because she was probing around through the Force, she was able to sense the biker droids in the form of a twinge of warning from the Force before they rounded the corner up ahead. She unleashed her bike's guns on the biker droids the same moment they turned the corner, destroying two of them instantly.
Showed how much the other two weren't paying attention to their surroundings through the Force. Too many people used the fact droids couldn't be sensed in the Force as a reason not to feel around with the Force, but the Force would still give warnings if one was open enough to it. Zelina hadn't known what was coming, but she had known that danger was about to appear from around that corner, and listening to the Force she'd fired when she'd felt it was right to do so.
"Biker droids, dead ahead!" Ahsoka called, lowering her goggles onto her face and taking aim. She was acting as the gunner while Anakin steered, while Obi-Wan had a similar match-up on another dual bike; Zelina was the only Jedi flying solo with Cruiser on another single person bike.
"Squad, tighten up," Anakin commanded, his voice carrying even over the noise of the engines and wind. "Form on me."
The group moved to do as Anakin suggested, with the Jedi taking up point while the men took up the other positions. Zelina hadn't stopped firing since the group of biker droids turned the corner, and she'd already taken out another biker droid by the time the rest of the group actually opened up fire.
The biker droid squad lost quite a few of it's droids before they came close enough for the Jedi to all activate their lightsabers to fend off blaster bolts and take out the bikes with their lightsabers, though Zelina stuck to her fancy flying as none of the droids came near her. The droids passed by, turned around, and came back towards their group, picking off a few of the men from behind while the dual person bikes all had the gunner turn around to take out the biker droids, effectively knocking the droids out of capacity with minimal casualties on the side of the Republic in the end.
"Well, there was the welcoming committee," Zelina called over to Anakin and Obi-Wan as they continued on their way. "Or at least part of it."
"I'm sure there's more than that," Anakin called back with a smirk.
Sure enough, a little further into their drive they came across a much more heavily armed squad that included two tanks. While the others opened fire on the battle droids, Zelina sighed, reaching for a thermal detonator in the small storage compartment in her bike while keeping the bike even with the other hand.
"Why do they have to try and make things difficult?" she muttered to no one in particular, activating the detonator. She could see Ahsoka off to her left preparing to do something similar as Zelina used the force to open the top of one of the tanks, preparing the opening she wanted. Once she was close enough, Zelina set her bike on cruise and jumped off, launching herself into the air and throwing the detonator inside of the tank. She slammed the hatch lid shut, jumped off the tank, and landed perfectly on her bike behind the tank, glancing back to watch the tank go up in flames a few seconds later as she came to a smooth stop with the rest of the group.
"Captain, have your men secure the area," Obi-Wan commanded. Zelina cracked her knuckles and shot Anakin a grin. "Well this was fun; I was kind of hoping for more of a challenge.
Anakin grimaced. "Please, don't jinx us."
Zelina rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, we're already jinxed with horrible luck, like something won't happen whether or not I say something?"
Anakin snorted. "Who knows, maybe you're the unlucky one."
Zelina grinned as he dismounted from the bike. "Please, if any of us are the unlucky one, it's you."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence Zee."
"Anytime Ani; everyone knows I'm in the group for moral support," Zelina joked, getting off of her bike.
"Yes; that is the only reason Zee."
"Glad to finally know my purpose in life."
Ahsoka rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh brother..."
"Anakin and Obi-Wan? They sure do bicker like brothers, don't they?" Zelina quipped. Ahsoka snorted in amusement and Anakin scowled, meandering off to go see how securing the area was going.
"How are we doing Boil?"
Zelina eavesdropped on the report a few meters away, leaning on the communications device Ahsoka was fixing up as she listened to Boil's report. "We're still mopping up clankers here and there sir. We've established a parameter around the Governor's tower. No one gets out without a fight."
"Good work," Obi-Wan said with a nod, already turning away to see about something else. Zelina tapped the communication device to get Ahsoka's attention.
"It looks like things are going well," she commented. Ahsoka paused just long enough to spare her a fleeting glance.
"You really are trying to jinx us, aren't you?" she asked with wry amusement.
"Hey, I was cooped up in the medical bay a little too long; I still need some action to get my blood pumping again," Zelina joked. She turned her attention back to eavesdropping as she heard Obi-Wan ask for another update she was particularly interested in.
"Cody, any word from the separatist commander?"
"He's barricaded inside; his name is Darts D'Nar. He has sent you a message sir," Cody replied.
Zelina straightened up from her perch and approached Obi-Wan's side, suddenly much more interested in the conversation. Off to the side opposite Zelina, she could see Anakin had taken equal interest in what was happening but was keeping further away at the moment.
When the image of a Zygerrian appeared in front of Obi-Wan Zelina immediately bristled like a furious cat. The only thing she was missing was the hiss of anger.
"Master Kenobi," D'Nar drawled, his Zygerrian accent somehow irking Zelina further. Her mood had rapidly spiraled downwards and the men noticed it; a few even went as far as to put some distance between her and themselves. "Come to the tower; we will negotiate terms for...surrender."
"Well, that was easy," Obi-Wan quipped, either oblivious to Zelina's mood change, ignoring it, or hoping the humor would lighten her mood.
It turned out she wasn't the one he needed to worry about.
The small handheld device that was displaying D'Nar's image was suddenly pulled right out of Cody's hand, flying through the air to be immediately crushed the moment it reached Anakin's grasp. Anakin's towering figure was suddenly frightening and terror-inspiring as he stormed forward, darkness coating his features.
"Zygerrian scum," he snarled, his voice husky with fury. "I'll handle that slaver."
The tone of his voice changed her track of mind and Zelina shoved the contemptuous feelings for the Zygerrian aside for later. She pushed past the others and gently grasped Anakin's shoulder, drawing him back a little. "Anakin, take a breath, calm down," she murmured. Before he could furiously backtalk her she tagged on another comment. "You're a little on the dark side of things right now."
Anakin held her gaze, his eyes burning and his jaw taunt before he gave her a stiff nod. Obi-Wan pitched in his comment.
"Anakin, he asked for me; I need you to locate the missing Togruta colonists with Ahsoka," he said pointedly, his voice calming. Zelina nodded in agreement.
"I'll go with Obi-Wan," she said, giving Anakin a pointed look. "I know exactly what you mean, perhaps a little better even; but I can actually keep a tight rein on my emotions. You go with Ahsoka, I got this."
Anakin scowled for a moment before his expression softened; he knew she was right. Zelina was the one who'd had a few run-ins with the Zygerrians in her youth; she had more grounds to be angry at them than Anakin had.
"Fine," he said stiffly, still smarting. "I'll have Admiral Yularen initiate a planetary bioscan."
Zelina let her hand fall away as Anakin sulked away, a grouchy expression still obvious on his face and a dark cloud following him as he went. Zelina kept her eyes on the ground, wrestling with her own feelings on the matter for a few minutes.
"How are you handling this?" Obi-Wan asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Better than he is," she responded tightly. "And I'm the one that actually experienced Zygerrians and can remember it."
Obi-Wan grimaced, but Zelina had already gravitated away to sit on a crate nearby. Ahsoka, meanwhile, was looking between the two in obvious confusion, glancing back at Anakin a few times as well.
"Why's he so upset?" Ahsoka asked. With a start, Zelina realized that Ahsoka was completely oblivious as to Anakin's—and Zelina's, for that matter—heritage.
"Anakin has never talked about his past, has he?" Obi-Wan asked slowly.
"Only to tell me he won't talk about it," Ahsoka muttered. Obi-Wan's expression darkened; he looked like this was the last thing he wanted to be talking about. So, Zelina decided to step up to the plate.
"I'll tell her," she interrupted. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow in surprise, fixing her with a stare. Ahsoka's attention was also fixated on Zelina, but Zelina was holding Obi-Wan's gaze as she spoke. "Who better to tell than the person that was in the exact same situation and right beside him?"
Obi-Wan hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure, I mean..."
Zelina waved him off. "It's nothing, I've had to explain before, it's nothing new." Zelina turned to Ahsoka, pursing her lips to decide if she wanted to be blunt about it or just get right to the point. She figured Ahsoka would appreciate it if Zelina kept things brief and simple instead of unnecessarily complicated. "Anakin and I were slaves when we were children, along with our family. "Anakin and his mother were brought into slavery by the Hutts, while my parents and myself were sold into slavery by the Zygerrians."
"Oh..." Ahsoka mumbled slowly, staring at the ground.
"Anakin has struggled to put his past behind him..." Obi-Wan added quietly, staring after his former student.
Ahsoka sighed. "Don't worry; I'll keep an eye on him."
"See that you do," Zelina said abruptly, surprising them all. "Anakin's...different when it comes to things that remind him of his past. Take the worst you've seen him, and times it by ten, and you've got an idea of how bad it is. Trust me...I've seen him at the worst point no one else has."
With that, Zelina stood up and brushed off her pants, changing the subject before anyone could ask to expand. "Well Obi-Wan; shall we go see the slaver and see what the scum is planning?"
She started towards the tower, and Obi-Wan said a few last words to Ahsoka Zelina didn't hear before he followed after her. "What do you mean the worst point no one else has seen?" he asked suspiciously. Zelina shook her head.
"I don't want to talk about it; it's not mine to tell, and you should know right now Anakin won't talk about it either. It's behind him, and it's best left there, not dragged back up."
"Is that supposed to reassure me?" Obi-Wan asked in disbelief.
"No, it's supposed to be enough for you for now. Shall we get back to the matter at hand now?" Zelina asked in a voice that communicated how badly she wanted him to drop the subject. Thankfully, Obi-Wan obliged, and they made the rest of the day to the Governor's Tower in silence.
As the approached the top floor of the tower in the lift, the voice of D'Nar floated towards them.
"...I will make the Jedi pay for their arrogance; I have them right where I want them."
That was the moment that the lift came even to reveal Obi-Wan and Zelina standing there; Zelina with a prominent scowl and Obi-Wan with an amused smirk.
"Do tell?" Obi-Wan said, his smirk growing as the assassin droids whipped around to point their blasters at the two Jedi.
The two holographic figures emanating from D'Nar's desk turned around. One was obviously Dooku, while the second was an unknown Zygerrian. Dooku had a scowl equal to Zelina's in prominence once he laid eyes on Obi-Wan.
"Gentlemen; meet Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight," Dooku sneered. The Zygerrian next to him literally snarled at Obi-Wan, and Zelina glared at him, her temper a little sharper than normal and a acidic comment slipping past the filter between her brain and her mouth.
"Can it, fleabag," She snapped at him. Fury flickered in the Zygerrian's eyes, and Dooku turned an amused look upon Zelina.
"Ah, and Zelina Du'ahn, Jedi Knight...still, for reasons beyond me. Just two weeks ago she killed a Jedi Master who was working in our interests. Too stubborn to join our cause but infuriatingly difficult to kill," Dooku mused out loud.
"Aw, Dooku, that almost sounds like you're complimenting me," Zelina said sarcastically.
"And in a particularly foul mood as well, it seems. I believe I know why, too," he said with a malicious glint in his eyes. He turned back to D'Nar. "This one is one to keep your eyes on; I'm sure you know how troublesome freed slaves can be."
Zelina bristled again, eyes flashing dangerously as Obi-Wan placed a restraining hand on her shoulder and D'Nar turned his gaze back to her with much more interest than before.
"D'Nar, bring him them to me; on their knees."
"With pleasure," D'Nar said with a malicious grin, turning off the communications device as he stared at the pair with much more interest before, stroking the bird creature in his lap. Obi-Wan took the lead, stepping forward with his hands in the air and walking in a cocky way. Zelina trailed behind, deciding to wait to speak until her temper had cooled down again. At this rate, she was going to be silent through this entire negotiation, though it seemed a negotiation was the last thing this meeting was going to be.
"Yes...you will surrender," D'Nar purred, putting his feet up on the table. Zelina snorted, but at Obi-Wan's sharp look didn't say anything.
"We obviously have a misunderstanding my friend," Obi-Wan said calmly, clasping his hands behind his back. Zelina was the only one who could see it, and only out of her peripherals, but Obi-Wan used the movement to mask the fact he was turning on his comm device to Anakin's channel.
"No, you are wrong Jedi," D'Nar said plaintively.
"Am I? You are no doubt aware your droid forces have been destroyed and you are surrounded. Do the honorable thing and give up now D'Nar; I promise you, you will receive fair treatment," Obi-Wan told D'Nar pointedly.
Zelina rolled her eyes. "He's a Zygerrian, Obi-Wan, he doesn't have a sense of true honor."
"You be quiet slave scum," D'Nar growled.
Zelina could almost taste the spike in anger from Anakin as he heard that over the comm unit. Obi-Wan was quick to regain control.
"Now, there's no need for that," Obi-Wan said in a lightly scolding tone. "We're still willing to offer you a generous deal, though insulting my partner will not get you anywhere. I suggest you surrender now, while you think you're ahead."
"You've broken through my defenses. You think you've won; think again," D'Nar snarled, his face momentarily contorting into a look of anger before the calm expression appeared once again. "I have planted bombs all over the city; no one will survive. Now, surrender."
Well, it looks like Anakin and Ahsoka just had a mission change, Zelina mused, shaking her head slightly. "I don't think you quite understand how this works. I do know Zygerrians are slow, so shall we dumb this down for you?"
"Zelina," Obi-Wan hissed before returning to his pleasant mask. "If you're not bluffing, then I must concede; but you'll have to make considerations. First, you release the colonists."
Zelina scowled. This was a negotiation that was going to take aggressive negotiations, not Obi-Wan negotiations.
"Here is my counter offer," D'Nar said with a wicked grin, and the commander droid behind him pressed a button. Immediately, there was a huge explosion in the direction of where the men were stationed, and Obi-Wan and Zelina both whipped around to see the huge pillar of smoke billowing in the air outside of the window as the ground shook with the magnitude of the explosion. Obi-Wan rushed to the window to see the damage while Zelina stayed in place, shooting D'Nar a filthy look.
"There were no colonists in that structure, but there could have been. Now, bow down and surrender to me you Jedi Filth," D'Nar snarled. Zelina uprooted herself from her spot on the ground and made her way over to Obi-Wan, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Obi-Wan," she said, her tone normal before she dropped several octaves so only he could hear. "I don't sense anyone in this village, it's completely devoid of any life; there's no one here to threaten," she said softly.
"What?" he hissed back.
"Have you not checked? See for yourself," Zelina urged.
"I'm getting impatient," D'Nar growled.
Obi-Wan stared back out the window, feeling around for anyone that wasn't part of the 501st as she'd suggested. He came back to the exact same conclusion Zelina had come to; it was in his eyes as he met her gaze again.
"Just...play along for now; let Anakin destroy the bombs so none of our men get hurt," Zelina muttered pointedly. Obi-Wan gave an imperceptible nod.
"All right," he said at a normal volume, approaching D'Nar's desk and unhooking his lightsaber before placing the lightsaber in front of D'Nar on the desk and gesturing for Zelina to do the same with hers.
"Very well...I surrender," Obi-Wan said carefully, backing away with his hands in the air as Zelina wordlessly placed hers there as well. D'Nar licked his fangs in satisfaction.
"Long before this war, your Jedi destroyed the great Zygerrian slave empire," D'Nar said, standing up proud and defiant.
"Good for them," Zelina muttered. D'Nar snarled at her, his hand twitching like he was restraining himself from hitting her.
"I would kill you now, but Dooku would prefer you alive," D'Nar growled.
"I...understand your frustration. It is unfortunate you and I cannot resolve all our differences as you do in the Zygerrian tradition."
Alarm shot through Zelina. "Obi-Wan—"
He waved her of, which only annoyed her as D'Nar fixed Obi-Wan with a startled and then amused stare. The bird in D'Nar's arms fluttered away, and D'Nar let loose a loud laugh.
"With no weapons, you would fight me?" D'Nar asked, getting right up in Obi-Wan's face.
"Obi-Wan, I don't think—" Zelina tried again, but Obi-Wan cut her off. Now she was just angry at him. Sure, ignore the girl who was brought into slavery by these creatures; it's not like her input could be of any value, it's not like she's perfectly aware of just how strong these creatures are, it's not like they could snap Obi-Wan in half like a twig effortlessly.
"For good reason," Obi-Wan said firmly, holding D'Nar's gaze. "Say, if I win, you reveal the location of the colonists and the bombs."
It was just as good of an idea as it was a horrible idea. Was she really witnessing this?
"And if I win, I deliver you both to Dooku in a cage, like one of these filthy creatures."
"Um, excuse me?" Zelina interrupted, her tone irritated. "How did I get dragged into this? I think this is a terrible idea!"
"Because you're with me, that's why," Obi-Wan said before he returned to meet D'Nar's gaze. "Perhaps..." Obi-Wan answered him slowly.
"And what am I going to do, huh? Shall I join in to make the fight even?" Zelina asked mockingly.
"No, this is between us," Obi-Wan said immediately. No sooner did he say that did D'Nar grab obi-Wan by the front of the shirt, lift him in the air, and then slammed his head into Obi-Wan's before tossing him like a ragdoll the length of the giant room. Zelina winced in sympathy for Obi-Wan, resisting the urge to run over and check up on him.
"I believe you're starting to see why I tried to warn you," Zelina said bitterly as D'Nar approached Obi-Wan, who was still on the ground. D'Nar flipped Obi-Wan over his shoulder and slammed him on the ground, picking him up to throw him the length of the room and right into one of the stone structures. The stone actually cracked, with several huge pieces falling to the ground along with Obi-Wan. Zelina drew back, loath to have to stand aside while Obi-Wan got the bantha poodoo knocked out of him.
"Careful; you're disturbing my pets," D'Nar taunted. Obi-Wan's breathing was labored, but he still had all the will to shoot D'Nar an icy glare. "They fetch a high price!" D'Nar continued. Obi-Wan pushed himself to his feet, bracing himself for the next round.
D'Nar approached him again, and this time Obi-Wan managed to land a few blows to D'Nar's face. For all that D'Nar reacted, Obi-Wan might as well have been gently poking him. D'Nar grabbed Obi-Wan and once again tossed him around like a ragdoll, and the only comfort Zelina took in the sight was the fact that there had been no sickening crunches to accompany Obi-Wan's rough landings. Zelina didn't know how she was still watching this and not intervening; it was obvious that Obi-Wan needed help, but he wouldn't take it.
"Are you sure you don't want me to step in? You're being thrown around more than Krell tossed me around, and he was a four armed Besalisk Jedi Master," she said as D'Nar threw Obi-Wan into the wall.
"You had lightsabers," Obi-Wan forced out through grit teeth. He rolled to the side to avoid the stone-cracking punch D'Nar threw at him, reluctantly boxing himself in as D'Nar tossed a huge metal cage aside to get to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan landed a punch to D'Nar's face, but D'Nar simply grabbed Obi-Wan's fist halfway through the next hit, and this time Zelina heard sickening cracks as he pushed Obi-Wan's hand back in a way that caused the Jedi Master to go weak at the knees before D'Nar kneed Obi-Wan in the stomach and caused him to double over. By now, Zelina was hoping that Obi-Wan was letting D'Nar beat him up so badly simply for the sake of stalling.
As Obi-Wan fell to the floor, D'Nar grabbed his head, pulling it back roughly causing Obi-Wan to gasp in pain. Zelina's fist clenched, and a crack appeared in one of the stone walls.
"For thousands of years, Zygerria supplied slavery to the galaxy," D'Nar snarled, tossing Obi-Wan aside. Obi-Wan landed at Zelina's feet, and she was quick to help him back to his feet, letting some strength and heeling flow into Obi-Wan during the brief contact before Obi-Wan pulled away so D'Nar's next attack wouldn't come near Zelina
"We prospered," D'Nar snarled, landing a punch to Obi-Wan's face. "Our customers prospered."
Another punch accompanied by a grunt from Obi-Wan as he was sent to one knee. D'Nar waited until Obi-Wan looked up at him. "Then the Jedi came."
With that, he landed a blow so hard to Obi-Wan's stomach that Obi-Wan went flying into the air, landing on the desk. Obi-Wan cried out in pain, and Zelina sincerely hoped that there weren't any bones broken. She couldn't see how Obi-Wan didn't have any broken bones, but she was about ready to jump in despite Obi-Wan's insistence she stay out of it.
Her mind was made up when D'Nar grabbed Obi-Wan by the throat and started strangling him.
"That's enough," she shouted, gathering the Force in her palm and pushing D'Nar as far back from Obi-Wan as she could. She came even with Obi-Wan, fists raised and eyes fiery. "I don't care what you say Obi-Wan, I'm stepping in now."
"Two Jedi! And one of them slave scum; I'm going to enjoy this."
"Oh, I don't think anyone's going to enjoy this more than me," Zelina said in a low voice, cracking her neck in anticipation. At that moment, before any fists could connect, D'Nar's communications device turned back on to reveal a droid.
"Um, excuse me sir, we have a problem..."
"What problem?" D'Nar snarled, taking a swing at Zelina. Zelina ducked under the swing and landed a quick jab in his side before dancing out of reach again while Obi-Wan tried for another punch to the face.
"The squad is attacking two enemy walkers moving towards—"
Before the droid could give away what they were stalling for, Obi-Wan and Zelina teamed up on D'Nar, each grabbing a side and tossing the brute into the communications device and shattering it into a thousand pieces. Once more, Zelina danced out of reach while Obi-Wan stuck to his direct approach and stayed within reach of D'Nar's grasp, trying to get a few more hits in. However, when D'Nar re-gathered himself to launch at Obi-Wan again, snapping his jaws, Obi-Wan retreated to come even with Zelina.
"Come on Anakin...hurry up," Obi-Wan muttered under his breath.
"Knowing Anakin, he ran into trouble of some kind and is currently trying to figure a way around it. Split!" Zelina answered, dodging to the side at the last moment as D'Nar charged at them. Obi-Wan rolled around to stand behind D'Nar, landing a hard blow to the back of his neck before D'Nar whipped around, picked Obi-Wan up, and threw him the length of the room. Before he came out of the throw Zelina darted in and landed a jab to his side, dancing away the next moment towards where Obi-Wan was lying on the ground. Obi-Wan was panting slightly as he got to his feet again, and once again Obi-Wan and Zelina doubled up on the Zygerrian with Zelina dancing around the brutish, hairy, catlike man while Obi-Wan kept up with the direct, heavy blows. It was a good thing they were double teaming, because it was obvious that Obi-Wan was tiring. If Zelina hadn't jumped in he'd probably be getting his backside handed to him right now.
D'Nar landed a blow on Obi-Wan's face, followed up with a blow to the stomach that send Obi-Wan to his knees. Zelina went to try and come to Obi-Wan's rescue, but D'Nar had finally caught onto a rhythm Zelina hadn't been paying attention to and grabbed her arm, tossing her into the wall on the other side of the room. Zelina's breath left her in a whoosh as she crumpled to the floor, struggling back to her feet while D'Nar kicked Obi-Wan a few meters, grabbing him by the torso, hoisting him in the air, and throwing him to the ground so hard the thick glass cracked. By now Zelina was back on her feet, and with a little aid from the Force she charged the Zygerrian, grabbed him around the midriff, and tackled him into one of the stone statues, backing off again as quickly as possible.
D'Nar stalked towards them, taking in their weary—and Obi-Wan's battered and utterly exhausted—states. "Now, Jedis, I will take revenge for my people," D'Nar snarled. Zelina found herself locked in hand to hand combat with the Zygerrian as Obi-Wan was down for the count, unable to get back up at the moment as he'd finally reached a limit with the beating. She was able to duck and dodge for a few moments before D'Nar grabbed her by the throat, hefting her in the air. She aimed a swift kick to his groin and he doubled over, but impressively didn't let go of his grip on her. Instead, he placed a foot on Obi-Wan's throat to keep the Jedi Master down as well.
D'Nar's commander droid approached them. "Sir, you have an urgent transmission," the droid said, activating the handheld communications device. The image of a battle droid appeared.
"Sorry to interrupt sir, but you weren't responding," the droid said. D'Nar's face contorted in anger at being interrupted.
"What is it?" he snarled, ignoring Obi-Wan's pained look and Zelina's fiery expression of resistance.
"Uh...the Jedi have disarmed your bombs..." the droid said hesitantly.
"What?" D'Nar thundered, tossing Zelina hard enough it was her turn to break one of the stone structures as he kicked Obi-Wan hard in the face. She heard a crack, and she was sure Obi-Wan's nose had been broken. "Give me the detonator!" D'Nar bellowed, rushing to the window with the detonator in hand. Obi-Wan and Zelina both painfully rose to their feet, brushing themselves off as D'Nar furiously pushed the detonator's button trying to activate one of the bombs.
"It certainly took him long enough this time," Obi-Wan said in amusement, brushing off some of the dust from the shoulder of his tunic. He nodded to Zelina, and they both crushed the two assassin droids with the Force before tossing them out the window and calling their lightsabers back into their hands. Obi-Wan was wearing a rather satisfied smirk despite his battered appearance and broken nose, which was still gushing blood.
"Well, shall we discuss your surrender...again?" Obi-Wan asked cheerily, activating his lightsaber. Zelina activated hers as well, twirling the blades experimentally to make sure none of her own injuries were affecting her bladesmanship.
"I still have one bomb left, Jedi," D'Nar snarled as he moved over to his commander droid. He activated the panel on the droids back.
"Sir, how could you?" the droid asked in a monotone voice. Zelina moved off to the side, eyes set on D'Nar as he tossed the beeping droid at them. The droid pinned Obi-Wan to the floor, and Zelina took the time to push the droid off of Obi-Wan while D'Nar rushed by, causing her to grit her teeth in frustration.
"Obi-Wan, bomb; I've got D'Nar!" she shouted, chasing after the man as he jumped onto the lift. He was already way down the tower by the time she reached the lift, so she ran right to the window on the other side of the room and clipped her lightsabers to her waist, jumping out of the window and latching onto the Force like her life depended on it.
It did; this was a long drop.
There was an explosion from the other side of the tower as Zelina guided herself onto the side of the building, connecting with her feet and sliding down at an alarming rate until the ground was uncomfortably close, at which point she kicked off, tucked, and rolled, using the Force to soften her landing. There was no way she was going to let D'Nar get away.
She arrived at the landing platform in time to see D'Nar disappear into his ship, and she sped up her pursuit. She wouldn't arrive before he shut the doors, but she could still get on the ship if she pushed herself a little harder...
"Zelina!" she heard Obi-Wan's faint voice call behind her. "You'll never make it."
"Yes I will," she thought firmly, using her contemptuous feelings of D'Nar drive her to run faster and harder. The ship started to take off, and she reached the end of the landing platform; but she didn't stop. She gathered her strength and the Force and kicked off, launching herself into the Force and sailing through the air, eyes set on the ship in front of her. She started falling, and for a moment she feared she was going to just miss the ship.
She stretched out with her fingers, and her right hand connected with the edge of the left wing, and Zelina held fast, dangling precariously from the wing thousands of feet in the air. With great effort, she dragged herself up onto the wing, getting to her feet and activating her violet lightsaber. She scuttled along the freighter ship and plunged her lightsaber into the engine, holding on for dear life as the ship tilted and started to spin out of control. She saw two shapes launch from the landing platform behind and land on the other side of the ship, and immediately she felt comfort in sensing Anakin and Ahsoka on the other side of the ship. Using her shoto blade, Zelina flattened herself on the wing and started to climb up the length of the ship towards the cockpit. A huge bang on the other side told her Anakin and Ahsoka had taken out the other wing, and they were running out of time.
Gritting her teeth, Zelina dragged herself up to the cockpit as D'Nar tried unsuccessfully to tip them off of his ship. When she reached the glass, she couldn't help herself; she knocked.
D'Nar looked up in shock, and Zelina plunged her lightsaber into the glass, cutting a hole large enough for her to get into the cockpit. Putting the Force behind her attack, Zelina put both feet in first and kicked D'Nar full in the face as she slipped inside, knocking him to the ground. A glance at the controls told her Anakin and Ahoska were barely hanging on outside, so she slammed her hand down on the button that would open up the cargo bay doors before turning back to D'Nar.
"I forgot to mention; I'm the one who deals in aggressive negotiations," Zelina said with a grin, both lightsabers activated and ready for attack. "So, shall we discuss your surrender, or am I going to have to forcibly remove it from you?"
"You will not win; and I will not speak," D'Nar snarled.
"We'll see about that," Zelina threatened, spinning her lightsabers. From his waist, D'Nar pulled out an electrowhip and, despite herself, Zelina flinched.
"Ah, you know this weapon; I'm not surprised," D'Nar purred. "I will break whatever pride you've managed to scrape off of the streets, little slave girl."
"Good luck," Zelina growled, her voice hard. D'Nar cracked the whip, but this time Zelina didn't allow herself to react. He spun the electric whip above his head, then cracked it down on her. Zelina caught the whip on one of her lightsaber's, yanking him forward and running the blade of her shoto lightsaber along his hand to burn him and cause him to drop the whip. D'Nar howled, but Zelina pushed him against the control console, bending him over backwards and holding the shoto blade at his throat as she used the Force to push the whip far out of his grip.
"Where are the colonists?" came a low growl behind her. Zelina turned in surprise to see Anakin standing in the shadows, arms folded over his chest as he glared poisonous daggers at D'Nar. She hated seeing that look on his face, and in preparation she put her violet lightsaber away, freeing up her hand for any rage control she was about to have to do.
"I will tell you nothing," D'Nar replied, spitting at Zelina for emphasis. Anakin snapped.
"Where are they?" Anakin bellowed, launching himself at D'Nar with his lightsaber at the ready. Zelina's hand thudded into his chest to hold him back, trying to hide the flicker of fear that sparked in her at the bloodthirsty look of fury that had crossed his face.
"Anakin, calm yourself," she said sharply. "Do I need to give you a repeat of my lecture back on Tatooine?"
Anakin's face darknened further. "Zelina..."
"No Anakin; step back, take a breather, and clear your mind before you go doing something you'll regret later," she said firmly.
"Who says I'll regret it?" he muttered darkly, but he backed off as he suggested.
Zelina didn't miss the look of fear and shock that had crossed Ahsoka's face as well; the last thing she wanted was for Anakin to scare his Padawan. Zelina gave Anakin one last sharp look before she turned her gaze back to D'Nar.
"Now, I can't tell how long I can keep my friend here back, so if you don't want to end up a grease stain at the surface of the planet thousands of feet below, I suggest you start to talk; he doesn't do negotiations, he takes care of the problems by removing them, if you catch my drift," Zelina told D'Nar firmly. D'Nar brought himself up proudly despite the blade at his neck.
"My queen is going to bring back the royal slave auctions as in the days before the Jedi," D'Nar snarled at her. Zelina's expression darkened, but unlike Anakin, she did not snap. "Zygerria will be rich and powerful again. The Jedi will not stop us this time."
"Pft, we'll see about that," Anakin growled from his corner in the back. Zelina caught Ahsoka's eyes; the poor Togruta seemed conflicted and uncomfortable standing next to Anakin, but didn't say anything.
Zelina would have to be sure to talk to her once things had settled down. For now, however, all they needed to do was take D'Nar into custody and find the missing Togrutas.
A small voice in the back of her mind told her that was going to be a lot harder than anyone was expecting.
All four of them were in communications with the Council when what Zelina had assumed was confirmed. Admiral Yularen was giving his report not only to Anakin, Obi-Wan, Zelina, and Ahsoka, but also to the Jedi Council as a whole.
"General Skywalker, I ran the bioscan twice but the results were negative," Yularen said.
"Are you saying the Colonists are not in the city?" Anakin asked in surprise. Zelina stepped astride him.
"I didn't sense any lifeforms in the city when we arrived; I suspected as much, and shared my observations with Master Kenobi," she said seriously. Yularen continued.
"Yes, but the colonists are not even on the planet," he said just as seriously. "The entire population seems to have simply vanished."
Zelina's expression darkened. "They didn't vanish..."
Yoda seemed to perk up at her words. "Something to say, have you, General Du'ahn?"
Zelina sighed, ignoring the stares she was getting from everyone. "D'Nar spoke of bringing the royal slave auction back; well to bring the slave auction back...you need slaves first."
Silence followed her words, and for several long moments Zelina wasn't sure they'd registered what she'd said. So, she pressed a little further. "I think if we want to find the colonists, we should look on Zygerria. I wouldn't put it past them to enslave an entire city."
Yoda nodded in agreement and then heaved a sigh. "Troubling is the return of the Zygerrians..."
"It is likely they mean to use Dooku to rebuild their slaver empire," Plo Koon added.
"We cannot allow that Master," Anakin said passionately from beside Zelina.
"Agree, I do," Yoda piped up. "But first, find the colonists, you must. In great danger, they are."
Plo Koon turned his gaze on Yoda. "What is it Master?"
"Sense, I do, a darker hand in this mystery. Slavery...a great tool it is...for the rise of the Sith..."