Chapter: 4 Anna's Wild Knight
"Trust and temptation marry under hypocrisy."
A killer at large! The infamous, saber-wielder known only as "The Bug" has carried out a string of killings across Coruscant's districts. Jedi Master Destin Mattias and his padawan Anna Dellian were sent to investigate, linking those killed to the Slitters: a lethal gang. Just when they seemed to have a lead, the gang's leader became another victim to the Bug's reign of terror. When Anna failed to defeat the mysterious murderer in a saber duel, she inadvertently found herself framed and outwitted.
Master Mattias had always told Anna to remain silent if she was innocent of something. He had said that the guilty often rushed to defend themselves in an effort to cover their tracks. In a classroom setting, a younger Anna would simply nod and move on to the next topic. Now that she found herself handcuffed and being taken into custody, the Padawan couldn't keep her mouth shut. "Idiots!" she roared as rain splattered across her face. "You're all a waste of taxpayer credits! I'm not the killer!" Anna flailed in the officers' grips and her boots stomped across puddles. "The real criminal is getting away!"
"Shut up and quit resisting," one of the policemen ordered. "Or we'll have to stun you."
"I hope you do," Anna snarled.
"I got this," a policewoman said as she drew her shock baton. Its tip fizzed and crackled as she pointed it towards Anna. "Have nice nap, Jedi."
"Stay that baton!" a voice barked and made the rest of the unit shutter. "Just what the hell is going on over here?"
The woman lowered her baton and turned with a salute. "Officer Souz," she gasped. "We've apprehended the killer. She was resisting arrest and-"
"This isn't the killer, you half-wit!" Souz scolded as Mattias arrived behind her. "Unless you want the Council itself to shut down our district, I order you to release the Jedi immediately."
Anna didn't have time to feel her cuffs clip off with how hastily they were removed. One of Souz's grumbling underlings handed Anna back her lightsaber. "Told you fools," the Padawan murmured.
"Watch your words," Mattias said. "You will respect authority."
"You know these are the same people who just wrongfully arrested me, right?" Anna retorted.
"They were only doing their job and you will respect them for that," Mattias enforced. "No matter what rank one holds over another, respect should remain mutual."
"Idiots!" Souz roared at the others. "You're all a waste of taxpayer credits!" Anna couldn't help but snicker and nod in agreement. While the rest of the unit fanned out to investigate for clues, Souz turned to Anna for answers. "What happened on the roof, kid?"
"I fought the Bug," she explained. "But it bested me."
"Male or female?" Souz inquired while jotting notes on her datapad.
"I couldn't tell. The voice was distorted under a helmet and it was completely armored."
"Couldn't you tell from the body type?" Souz persisted.
"No. Armor is armor," Anna said. "It didn't give away anything. The Bug was trained to hold its own against a Jedi, but didn't use the Force in combat nor to escape."
"So we're dealing with a highly dangerous unsub. No name, only an alias. In possession of a green lightsaber, possibly...created?" Souz asked.
"Unlikely," Mattias considered. "Getting a kyber crystal is no easy feat."
"Then more like stolen," Souz corrected in her notes and sighed. "It's not much to go off of, but you showed heart out there, kid."
Anna's hopefulness was swiftly dashed by Mattias' involvement. "Where you see heart, I see a complete lack of control."
"I can control myself!" Anna snapped, only to prove his point.
Mattias noticed a vast array of onlookers ranging from shady bystanders, to holodroids, and even news outlets determined to scrounge for drama. "We need to get back to the temple immediately," he insisted.
Anna's nostrils flared. "But the Bug is still out there, master!"
He turned to her with a grim glare and muttered, "Now."
Anna spent the speeder ride back brooding in silence. As if rain repeatedly tapping against the windscreen wasn't irksome enough, Anna was forced to endure Mattias' incessant lecturing. His words were a muffled, inaudible hodgepodge as she pressed her face against the cold window. Her listing gaze stretched past the falling droplets and across the city's skyline. She wondered where the Bug was and despised how it had outwitted her. She pondered if the Bug was even still on Coruscant at that point, while she was trapped in a speeder. Her festering frustration was furthered when she realized Mattias was still talking. Infuriated, Anna hopelessly slammed the window with her fist.
"Get a hold of yourself!" Mattias demanded.
"I almost had the Bug, master!" Anna turned with shaking hands. Her voice cracked as if she was on the verge of tears. No matter how it frustrated her to feel as such, she carried on. "I was this close to-"
"Padawan," Mattias interrupted. "Control your emotions." Anna bit her tongue and sat back in her seat. A poisonous scowl seared across her face when he uttered the words, "You're better than this."
Anna rubbed away any tears with her callused knuckles and sat quietly for the rest of the trip. When they arrived at the temple, she didn't bother to look Mattias in the eye. Rain felt like another distraction she couldn't be bothered to feel as they trudged indoors. Several Jedi watched their return, so she did her best to hide her bruises and limp. She couldn't help but notice a figure lounging atop the high pillars. One of the lightning strikes outside illuminated the Jedi's body, making him appear like one of the statues he sat amongst. By the time Anna gave the silhouette a curious double take, it had disappeared into the shadows.
Mattias guided Anna to the temple's medical center and she briefly heard him explaining the situation to a med droid. Though she didn't meet his gaze, she did hear him say, "We'll reconvene in the morning."
A rigid med droid ushered Anna into a chilled, dimly lit room with a bubbling tank in its center. "Please dress and press the pager when ready," the droid computed before placing a sleeveless top and briefs on the counter. Her metallic assistant clanked out of the room while Anna undressed, revealing every bruise she'd sustained during her mission. Deep contusions spread across her back and forearms. Slits and gashes widened on her thighs as she bent them to remove her robes. Anna shivered wearing nothing more than the thin medical garments and hurriedly paged the droid. It returned with a sterilized breathing mask and intricately fastened it to her face. Anna gave the droid a bewildered glance as it motioned to the frothing tank. "Submerge," it said. Anna's breaths quickened as she neared the translucent fluid. The droid gently pat her back and mentioned, "The bacta will heal." While its gesture was appreciated, the droid's cold metal on her quivering skin only made her stiffen. She dipped her toes in the tank and watched ripples race to its edges. The heat climbing to her ankles prompted her to sink further into the mysterious fluid. Anna winced for a moment, as it felt like she was entering a hot tub of sorts. The warm, welcoming waters relaxed her aching muscles as she closed her eyes beneath the surface. Bubbles shifted beside her ears as her hair swirled like an auburn vortex. Anna briefly opened her eyes to the underwater blur around her. She could faintly make out the med droid trudging outside her capsule and sealing the lid above her. Any panic she would've felt was short-lived as the healing agent brought an insurmountable heaviness to her eyes. Anna's head listed amongst the suds as she slipped into a deep slumber.
It was as if Anna had merely blinked by the time she'd awakened. Bacta fizzed around her as the med droid floated her body to the surface. It gently removed her breathing mask as her eyes fluttered about. "Good morning, Padawan." The droid's voice was monotonous and orderly. "You have made a full recovery. Any grogginess, dizziness, nausea, and numbness is completely normal."
"I'm fine," Anna slurred as she felt a belch coming on. "Actually-"
"I'll get the bucket," the droid insisted.
After the initial debacle, Anna had redressed and sprawled herself out on one of the medbay's loungers. "Bacta will heal," she griped to herself. "Yeah, at the cost of my dinner." She rubbed her aching, emptied stomach. Still, she couldn't argue with the tank's overnight results. Her freckled skin was free of all cuts and bruises sustained during her mission. All muscle soreness was completely obliterated to the point where her experience might as well have been a dream. All hopes of that truth were dashed when Mattias entered the room. He was healed of his minor bruising and carried a packet of Republic-issue crackers in his hand.
"Hey there," he said. "I heard about the post-bacta nausea and figured these would help."
"Did they catch the Bug?" Anna hurriedly asked.
Mattias glowered. "You know I got sick the first time I went into a bacta tank too." He tossed the crackers and she caught them with skillful reflexes.
"I said..." Anna tore open the packet. "Did they..." She angrily chomped on a cracker and sat up. "Catch the bug?"
The relentless Padawan stared down her steadied master until he huffed. "No, Anna. They have not." She rolled her eyes as he stepped forward. "And don't get any ideas because you're off the case."
Anna's eyes widened and she fought all numbness to stand. "Wait, what?"
"I thought you were ready and that this was the chance to start proving yourself. The only proving that occurred was me getting proved wrong," Mattias intoned.
"So what now?" Anna scoffed. "The Bug just goes free so because I'm 'not ready'?"
"No. It will fall to the Jedi Sentinels to find the killer." Anna slouched back into her seat and Mattias pulled one over to meet her. "Anna, I value your safety and also our image."
Anna brandished a venomous scowl. "So this is about publicity to you?"
"Publicity?" Mattias struggled to control his own temper as he rose with clenched fists on his hips. "By the Force, Anna...How can you be so blind to such simple principles? Have I taught you nothing?" He furiously gestured to her uniform with a wild hand. "When you don those robes and spark that lightsaber, you represent the entire Jedi Order. Every fundamental value through your words and actions reflects back on all of us."
They stood in silence for a moment as Mattias recollected himself. He despised that he let himself get so irate because of Anna. Surprisingly, she was the first to break the silence. "So what am I supposed to do while that killer roams free?" she asked.
"Train harder, move forward, and let go." Mattias answered calmly. "I must speak with the council on our mission and apologize for the reckless endangerment of my Padawan. I suggest you meditate for the day to cleanse your mind and please..." Mattias looked at her, practically begging. "Try to keep a low profile until this Bug incident blows over. Jedi Sentinels are specifically trained in investigation and the criminal underworld. Once one of them is assigned to this case, they will handle it." He gave her a bow and departed with a solemn "May the Force be with you."
Anna waited for the doors to shut before replying, "The Force needs me. And I'm sorry master..." She reached into her robes and removed a bronze talisman. "But I can't walk away from this one."
Anna might've been down, but she certainly wasn't out. Memories from her failed mission replayed in her mind as she recalled the lacerations on the dead Nautolan's neck. The very trinket she held once swayed on Hevrin's necklace. It was violently torn from the gangster's neck when the Bug murdered him, and Anna inferred the Nautolan shared a similar fate. The Bug thought it had bested Anna during their rooftop duel, but through some last minute sleight of hand...she'd managed to retrieve the very item it sought to steal. She clenched the bronze comet as if it were her only hope, for it was. She was right not to share it with her master, for he only would've taken her off the case and confiscated the evidence to one of the Sentinels. If anyone was going to solve the mystery behind the necklace and bring the Bug to justice, it'd be Anna. She couldn't bear the thought of being trapped in the temple while the investigation continued without her. She hid the talisman and brought it back to her room. She turned on Coruscant's Holonet news broadcast as she examined its intricate designs.
"Yes there were arrests made," a commentator said. "But what is there to show for it? Thugs get busted in the lower levels every day. That's not even news anymore."
"Mhm," another replied. "But this saber-swinging-slayer. This...Bug as they call him or her. That scares me."
"And what do the Jedi have to do or say about it? Nothing. They can't even stop the Bug."
"Sources from last night report the temple dispatched some mavericks to deal with the situation. Who...might I add failed miserably to-"
Anna growled and shut the broadcast off. She couldn't take another highlight of uptight, Coruscanti blathering. While his lectures seemed endless at times, Mattias was right when it came to the opinionated media. He'd always told Anna that it was easy for those in power to judge from their polished seats while the laborers trudged away in the mud. Neither of those commentators would last five seconds in the lower levels of the city, if they even left their studio. Anna's finger nestled into a divot and she gently pulled up. She gasped as a piece of the talisman clicked and projected schematics across her bedsheets. "Okay," she whispered to herself. "Progress is progress...but what does it mean?" Anna squinted and ran her fingers across the bizarre, flickering map. Buildings and sectors she'd never seen rotated down a severed center, as if the overall map was incomplete. A scarlet dot blipped in an elongated complex tucked far into the corner, further confusing Anna. "I have no idea where this is," she admitted. "But wherever it is, Bug...I'd wager you want to get there too." Anna sighed heavily and crossed her legs. "I can't believe I'm even considering this, but these are desperate times." She shut her eyes to enter deep meditation as so many Jedi had before her. She took a shallow breath and tried to sense where the location might be. Her eyes twitched and she glowered, for she was annoyed being so still on her bed. The ships outside were irksomely loud and every flicker of light was an invitation of annoyance. Her mind reflected on her fight with the Bug and played it on constant loop. Every swing of a saber was like a braying siren in her ears. Anna sprung from her bed with fists raised and pulled at her hair. "Well that was useless! Meditation...what a kriffing joke."
Rather than stay cooped up in her room, Anna chose to head for the nearest dojo just a level beneath her. Technically she could still keep a low profile while wandering the temple grounds. After all, there were other Padawans seeking to hone their skills just the same. Anna hoped striking a couple of training droids down would clear her mind where meditation could not. She entered to the sounds of crackling lightsabers and battering fists. She couldn't help but smile, feeling right at home amongst youth sparring through their spare time. While several padawans dueled across platforms above, lower arenas staged hand-to-hand combat scenarios. Anna marveled as a horned Devaronian wrestled a human onto his back until he was forced to yield. Her heart sank when both combatants gave her a grisly glare. Whether it was the Force or an obvious intuition, Anna could feel judgement amongst her peers. She didn't grant them the time of day as their curious gazes followed her across the dojo. Whispers of her whereabouts chittered as vexatiously as the ships outside her window. So much so, that Anna decided to make a statement.
"Fine," she mumbled under her breath. "You wanna stare? I'll give you something to stare at." She approached the nearest training panel and activated a dueling droid. A peeping Padawan gasped when Anna set the droid to maximum difficulty and leapt into the arena.
Her glare remained fixated on the containment unit as it deployed a lanky figure. Its silver eyes flickered on and it hurriedly ignited a lightsaber of the same color. The droid didn't waste a moment with any formalities from a lower difficulty, and neither did Anna. She activated her blue blade and sprung to engage her target. Their sabers had met seven times in three seconds as the droid raced to match Anna's intensity. Its hips spun as she front-flipped over and flourished her weapon for another attack. She noticed a mix of cheering and gossiping peers as Anna lunged for another strike. If she was going to build her endurance, she would have to push her Ataru further. Rather than catch her breath, Anna spun her saber to break the droid's attempted parry. Without her usual rest between strikes, Anna felt herself hyperventilating. Pressure built up in her chest as her forearm muscles tightened under strain. "No!" she roared at her failing body and swung upward. Her royal blue blade severed the droid's head and sent it spinning out of bounds.
Anna smiled through her tiredness after pushing so hard, only to hear a distinct clapping behind her. Its slow cadence was all the more mocking as Anna turned. "Not bad," a blue-skinned Pantoran admitted. Her nasally voice was pestilent to the ears. "I mean considering it was a training droid and all. Right, Surk?"
The Pantoran's yellow eyes darted to a brawny Zabrak lurking beside with folded arms. "Cut little Anna some slack, Tori. She's had a rough night." His impression of an infant made his pursed lips increasingly punchable.
"Oh please," Tori gawked. "After her swim in a bacta tank, I'm sure she's doing just fine." She nonchalantly whipped her violet ponytail over her shoulder. "But I doubt there's anything in a medbay that can treat the sting of failure."
She laughed while Anna longed to kick her square in her aquiline nose. She clenched her saber's hilt until the durasteel scraped her palm. "Tori and Surk," Anna retorted with venom in her voice. "I don't see either of you getting assigned to missions. Clearly not if you have time to be spying and eavesdropping."
"So she admits to failing?" Surk jeered.
"Don't tell me," Anna interjected. "You two are still throwing tantrums over me being the best duelist in our clan. Don't you have masters to whine to about that stuff now?"
"We were younglings then," Tori admitted. "But it'd be my pleasure to put you in your place in front of everyone now."
"Oooh," Surk murmured from behind. "And then it'll be my turn to-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there," Anna insisted from the center of the arena. "You seriously picked the wrong day to mess with me so I'll make this a lot easier. She ignited her lightsaber and switched to its training setting. "Two versus one. Right here, right now." Anna purposefully spoke louder to attract more onlookers.
Surk looked to Tori with raised brows and she flashed a fraudulent smirk. "You...you can't take both of us," she replied.
"Sure I can," Anna replied firmly and steadied herself. "Unless you're scared."
Tori shook off her worries and sparked up a blue lightsaber. "You always had a big mouth, Anna!"
"Let's shut her up," Surk growled and activated a green blade.
Anna hadn't faced these fools since they were children. Even during the crystal gathering on Ilum, Tori and Surk had become a crude pairing. Anna couldn't help but wonder if the two bonded over a shared dislike over her. She couldn't help being the best, but it would always mean others would be battling for her spot. Rather than begin with wild, Form IV attacks, Anna waited for her opponents to strike. Sure enough, Surk could hardly contain himself as he lunged towards Anna. Tori swung from the front, and Anna rolled so that her opponents would parry each other.
"Fool!" Tori barked as Surk spun to reengage Anna. With her foe's locked in a tizzy, Anna returned to begin her signature attacks. The duo went on the defensive as Anna unleashed a multitude of Ataru strikes, each more aggressive than its predecessor. Their audience cheered and gasped as sparks flared across the arena. With gritted teeth and a ferocious leer, Anna batted away her opponent's sabers. She suddenly lost momentum when Tori weaved away from one of her strikes. Exhaustion caught up with Anna as her muscles tightened and she stumbled forward. Her concentration snapped amidst ambiguous laughter from the crowd and her adversaries.
"Uhoh!" Tori mocked. "Getting tired?" She swung dangerously close to Anna's head.
"Poor baby," Surk added and jabbed from the opposite side.
Flustered by their words, Anna exasperatedly swayed her saber across the arena. Tori and Surk easily dodged, cackling while they did so. She attempted to strike Surk, but he elbowed her directly into a kick from Tori. Her boot knocked the wind clear out of Anna's chest and sent her rolling across the arena. A resounding "Ohhh!" echoed from several onlookers.
"Come on, best duelist!" Tori taunted and high-fived Surk. "What happened, best duelist?"
Anna peered across the arena through a mess of her own hair. The throbbing pain in her chest coupled with her shortened breaths opened the gateway to a darker pull. Much like in the alleyway, the calling was powerful and alluring. It urged her to rise in a mad fury as her cacophonous opponents danced around her humiliated body. She remembered how the Bug had deemed her not worth its time and how it felt for the police to wrongfully arrest her. Now these pests from her past had the audacity to kick her while she was down. Anna rose with a perpetual scowl, embracing the unseen pull to a side that seemed increasingly enticing. The raw, untapped power was intoxicating as Anna scooped up her weapon and calmly ignited it.
"I think she wants another whooping," Surk goaded. "Fool. You hear me?" His boastful smirk wavered when Anna didn't respond. "I said do you hear me?"
Tori scoffed. "We must've knocked that big head of hers senseless." The padawans and all observing descended into silence as Anna slowly raised her weapon above her head. Never once opening her eyes, she stood like a statue poised for an inevitable strike. "What is she even-"
Tori and Surk flinched as Anna's eyes flew open. She screeched like a madwoman and charged the panicking duo, who quickly raised their weapons to engage. Anna's blows were heavy enough to send disorienting sparks over her opponents' heads. Whenever she felt herself tiring from her rigorous Form IV, Anna focused on how much her opponents had mocked her. She let their insults and pestiferous laughter fuel her rage as she struck harder. Anna swung with enough force to break Surk's parry and send him stumbling. Anna grabbed his free hand, pulled him close, and ran her lightsaber across his waist. Had their sabers not been set for training, the Zabrak would've been gutted or even bisected. Instead he collapsed, twitching and grunting from the sting of stun beams. Anna spun with hatred in her eyes as Tori seemed cornered. Without Surk's muscle to back up all her mockery, she futilely took jabs at Anna. The Pantoran's eyes widened as Anna easily batted away each attack and closed in for her own.
"Pathetic," Anna growled.
Triggered and fed by her insult, Tori twirled her saber towards Anna from the side. Anna angrily caught her foe's wrist and started to squeeze. She kept applying pressure, never once breaking eye contact with her newly petrified opponent. Tori yelped and inevitably yielded from the growing pain. Her lightsaber rolled out of her fingers and she threw her hands up in surrender. The once mouthy bully was now a quivering mess unsure of Anna's next move. Her eyes darted between Anna's lightsaber and hateful gaze as both Padawans' hearts raced. Anna started to raise her weapon, but Tori winced and a few onlookers gasped. Even if the sabers were set to stun, it wasn't the Jedi way to strike down an unarmed opponent. It was so dubiously tempting to zap Tori after all she'd said. To make her feel the stinging pain that Anna got to make Surk feel. To humiliate her just the same...
The dark pull passed like a fleeting shadow, and Anna was filled with uncertainty. She deactivated her weapon and placed a forceful hand on Tori's sleeve. "Leave. Me. Alone." Anna uttered before leaving the Pantoran to scrape up her friend.
It took every bit of Anna's resolve not to reengage when she heard Tori mumble the word "Lunatic" under her breath. The audience dispersed after the pulse-pounding spectacle as Anna came to her senses. She stepped off the platform to the sound of yet more applause. Anna turned, ready to stun Tori into oblivion until she realized it wasn't her clapping this time. A young man with hair as russet as her own lounged against the platform's edge. His strikingly blue tabards caught her eye as he swayed to face her. "You really showed those...excuses for Jedi back there. Pathetic is too good a word for them." he said. Anna rolled her eyes and stretched out her tightened forearms. "It's sad that a warrior of your caliber has to be associated with rabble like those two. You're already fighting like a knight."
Anna was starting to feel like Elsa whenever she got interrupted. She quit stretching and turned to meet the Jedi in his piercing, green eyes. "What do you want?" she asked.
He smirked and offered a subtle shrug. "I'm just admiring a fellow, formidable duelist." he said and offered a hand. "Hans Westgard, Jedi Knight."
"I've heard the name," Anna admitted. "You were the best duelist in Brith Clan-"
"Damn right," Hans boasted.
"Before I took your spot," Anna finished. "The second I heard there was someone to top, I was all about it."
"Goal oriented," Hans admired. "That'll serve you well. You'd make a persistent Sentinel like the rest of us."
Anna's eyes widened as an idea formulated within. She recounted her master's words about Jedi Sentinels and seized her opportunity. "Duel me," Anna asserted and left Hans in a stupor. She eyed a secluded platform and sprung to it. "Well come on then!" Hans raised a brow but played along. Anna didn't even waste time with formalities as she activated her weapon and marched up to him. Hans brandished a blade as green as his suspicious leer and stepped with equal intensity. He was oddly perplexed by Anna simply pressing her saber to his and bringing her face in close. "You're a Jedi Sentinel, yes?" she asked and he nodded.
Hans caught on that the hum and grinding of their weapons would shroud their conversation. "You're a sneaky one, Anna." he admitted. "You were part of that investigation the Coruscant Holonews won't shut up about, weren't you?"
They disengaged and locked blades once more. "How do you know my name?" Anna inquired. "How did you-"
"Sentinels are trained to investigate anyone and anything," Hans answered. "If I wanted to, I could probably know more about you than you do. You Dellian siblings fascinate me. Showing up from a seeker like the rest of us, only there's no record of who your parents were. Doesn't the truth of that ever intrigue you?"
"Get out of my head," Anna intoned as she pressed her blade harder. She fought to prevent overthinking on his words, only to realize he had been the figure she caught spying on her the previous night. "It sounds like you're the sneaky one."
"Then what a pair we are," Hans chuckled.
Anna ignored his jest and relented. "I need your help."
A curious grin crept across Hans' thin lips. "I'm listening."
"This Bug that the news is talking about. I may have something its after on half a holomap. I didn't present the evidence to the higher ups because-" Anna bit her lip.
"Because this is your fight," Hans said as Anna nodded. "And you deserve to finish it."
"My master's put me off the case," Anna admitted. "Whatever happens, I have to end this tonight."
"I can do tonight," Hans assured. "We sneak out of the temple, nab this Bug, and get back before sunrise."
"What's the plan?" Anna wondered as Hans smiled smugly.
Mattias gently knocked on the door to Anna's room. He was utterly exhausted from the council's deliberations and the amount of formal apologies he played it safe with. He grew suspicious in the ensuing silence until a gentle voice said, "Come in."
He entered to find Anna surprisingly meditating in the center of her room. "How have you been?" he asked.
"Well I was finding myself through meditation," Anna joked while continuing the process.
"I have to admit, I'm impressed." Mattias said. "It takes great patience and courage to abandon pursuits and focus on one's betterment. Carry on, Padawan. Perhaps you are ready to face the Trials after all. Good night."
Mattias left the room and Anna rose from the floor. "It's going to be a great night," she corrected to herself. "And I was always ready." She stashed the holomap talisman in her satchel and sat patiently on her bed. With her master gone for the night, she no longer had to fake impossible meditation. Just as Hans had planned out, he arrived at her door at approximately 0100. "Almost thought you weren't gonna show." Anna admitted.
Hans chuckled and threw a set of jet black clothes at her. "I'm right on schedule," he whispered. "You're just psyching yourself out. Now put those on."
"Don't try and read me," Anna intoned. They faced away from each other and began to switch into the shadowy outfits. Tabards, belts, and sashes gently fell to be replaced by stealthier clothing.
"Well you're feistier than your sister, I'll give you that."
"Please," Anna murmured. "That's not hard to do."
"Where even is she?"
"Am I my sister's keeper now?" Anna glanced over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of Hans' bare leg. His toned thigh disappeared under a pair of form fitting, tactical pants. Anna had already seen a man's bare chest, though it was mostly tattooed. She wrestled with a peculiar curiosity to peek at Hans' other leg. Such an act was only halted when she caught Hans glancing over his shoulder.
"What are you looking at?" They asked and covered up in unison. "Keep your eyes to yourself," their simultaneous behavior continued.
Anna finished zipping her hooded vest and hid her lightsaber beneath its hem. "How do I look?" she asked in a gritty voice.
"Nearly complete," Hans quipped and pointed to the scarf on her neck.
He reached for it until Anna smacked his hands away. "I can do it," she insisted and wrapped the scarf around her mouth. She tried to mimic Hans' style, only to have hers unravel like yarn.
"Congratulations," Hans groaned. "You just revealed your identity and cost the mission." Anna huffed as he properly tied the scarf around her. His forearms pressed against her cheeks as he tightened the knot. "There. Perfectly incognito."
"Why'd we have to do this in my room again?" Anna asked.
"Because your dormitory has more security blindspots."
"That's good," Anna replied. "I...think?"
Hans pressed his hands to her window and quietly slid it open. "Last chance to back away," he said. "You sure you-"
Anna answered with action as she shoved past him. Her ego deflated as gravity took hold and the duo vaulted out the window. The chilly, Coruscant air was unwelcoming to the body as they began a treacherous descent. Anna couldn't even tell herself not to look down, because she needed to. "This is insane," Anna whispered.
"Welcome to the life of a Jedi Sentinel," Hans quipped. "Where what you just said is a motto. If you see a temple security droid hover by, just quit moving. Their scanners are based on mobile anomalies but keep to the shadows just in case."
How is he talking so casually at this height? Anna wondered. A hefty, lingering breeze made her almost lose her footing. Hans gripped her shoulder and pushed her back into place. Quit babying me, she thought to say if she wasn't so focused. The sound of distant police cruisers worried Anna into thinking they were coming for them. Anna fixated on the next ledge as she slowly descended stories towards the ground level. She mistakenly gave in to curiosity and peered down at the vertigo-inducing courtyard.
"Look up," Hans insisted. "Focus on your handholds, or on me if you so choose."
"You wish," Anna spat to the latter, only Hans didn't offer a rebuttal.
Minutes felt like dreadful hours as Anna made her way down. Her arms grew tender and the mission to find the Bug had only begun. "Droid," Hans whispered sharply as a proximal whirring sounded. "Shimmy!" In her panic, Anna headed left when she should've gone right. Like a creature of the night, Hans blended into the darkness while Anna was left exposed. Her heart thundered as an oblong droid with an orange sensor hovered by the wall. Anna's head swiveled, desperately searching for a means of escape. She tightly clenched a pipeline as the droid closed in and remained as still as possible. She could only hope her hooded figure would look like a cluster of gunk clinging to a poorly maintained pipe. A growing sting in her palms forced her eyes open. Her breaths plummeted as she did when she lost all traction. Anna gasped as she slid down the pipe and endured severe friction burns. When she couldn't handle it any further, Anna launched herself off the pipe and hoped she was near ground level. When she wasn't, all she could do was ball herself up and brace for the worst impact.
It felt as though Anna had landed into an invisible field. While she feared she'd fallen into a Jedi security measure, she instead opened her eyes to find Hans reaching out with the Force. He had rushed to ground level by any means to catch her before she'd met an unfortunate end and...once she was safe, frustratedly dropped her. "Maybe this was a mistake," he grumbled.
Anna's nostrils flared as his words mirrored those of her master's. "Excuse me?"
"Keep your voice down," Hans demanded.
"No," Anna snapped. "You don't get to talk smack and then shut me up. That's not how this works."
Hans backed against the wall as Anna jabbed a finger at him. He swatted it away and stomped. "You don't get to ask for my help and then boss me around," he asserted. "One word and I could get you expelled from the Jedi Order."
"Then I'll take you down with me," Anna retorted relentlessly. "We're in matching clothing. This could've been your idea, Mr. Sentinel. So the next time you say to shimmy, you say left or right. Got it?"
Hans growled, yet nodded. "Anna Dellian, you're as stubborn as a ronto."
"Get used to it," she intoned. "I-"
Hans pulled her into his arms and brought a finger to his mouth. He cautiously pointed up as two Jedi draped in ceremonial robes and identical masks patrolled the overhead pathway. "Temple guards," he mouthed and motioned for Anna to follow him. She traded his secure embrace for the brisk winds and vanished into the night.
With the temple a distant memory behind, Hans led Anna to a secluded alleyway where she reactivated the talisman. His glare intensified as he examined the partially constructed holomap and ran a finger across its flickering schematics. "What can you make of it?" Anna asked.
"Less when you're talking," Hans murmured as Anna sulked back. He hummed in deep contemplation and raised both brows. "You said this trinket was ripped off one of the gang's leaders?" Anna didn't respond and flashed him a mocking grimace. He rolled his eyes and nudged. "Now you can talk."
"Yes," she replied. "The first body my master and I found had the same neck wound, and I'd wager everything that he had the second piece of this map."
"Well it looks like you had the better deal," Hans discovered. "We've got the end piece here and lucky for you, I know this sector. It's the Industrial Jen-Buk District." Hans checked his wrist comm's watch. "If we hurry we can hitch a ride on one of the nerf packing ships leading there."
"Nerfs?" Anna inquired as they rushed off.
"Once you get past the smell, the critters aren't so bad." Hans explained.
What a gross understatement that had become as Anna pinched her nose. She and Hans huddled together into one of the storage compartments as the ship glided over Coruscant. The resonant growls of caged nerfs echoed from the shelving units below. Not even Anna's cowl could block out their malodorous stench as Hans chuckled at her. "Think about this the next time you eat a nerf steak or nerfburger," he joked. "This hapless herd doesn't stand a chance at the meat processing plant where they're headed. That's where we'll disembark and follow this map of yours." Anna simply nodded and focused on blotting out the smell. "I gotta give you credit," Hans admitted. "It takes guts for a Padawan to sneak out and defy the rules like this. A Jedi who lives by the book will never achieve victory, and at least you're learning that lesson now."
Anna was intrigued by his words and considered how much she'd felt the bizarre pull. Given Hans' views on bending the rules, she felt confident enough to ask him. "Do you ever feel angry?" she asked. "Like angry...you know?" His perplexed glance made her slap herself. "Where you just get so frustrated in a moment that your rage almost becomes a strength. That power drives you and its like a-"
"Pull," Hans finished with a nod.
Anna cringed at the thought and considered her master's views. "Is it...really..."
"The Dark Side?" Hans blurted and Anna's eyes widened. It was as if he'd dropped a thermal detonator in the room by uttering such a phrase. "Yes," he admitted. "I saw you channeling it against those loudmouths in the dojo. It's served me well in many do-or-die scenarios." Hans leaned back with eyes shut and a lustful grin. He sighed deeply as if savoring the forlorn connection. "Its a dreadful pull, but ever so powerful. Don't pay any attention to the masters who tell you to stray from it. Look at the victory you were granted by using your emotions."
"That's...true." Anna realized. "But-"
"But nothing," Hans interrupted. "Why do you want to be a Jedi Master?"
No one had truly asked her that before, so the question left her as a stuttering mess. "Well, to become a protector of peace and justice throughout the galaxy."
"Cut the nonsense. Not what your master wants you to be nor what the Order has drilled into your head since you were a youngling. Why do you want this? Why have you defied all else to capture this Bug and bring it to justice?"
Anna loosed a deep sigh. "I want to become the greatest Jedi to ever live," she proclaimed. "Elsa and I were abandoned as children. We don't even know who our parents were and that's seriously fine. I will become so powerful, that they'll regret the day they gave me up. I'll get the respect I deserve from everyone who's ever talked down to me, especially this Bug after I personally throw it behind bars."
Hans smirked. "Now that answer was actually believable. Anna, I think tapping into the Dark Side doesn't make us evil. It makes us stronger because we can balance both, never crossing the line and knowing where we stand."
Anna sat up to meet Hans' troubled stare. "How can you sound so sure?"
"Because I've seen true malice," he whispered as his eye twitched. "It was how I passed my Trial of the Flesh. I was such a naive and spirited padawan when my master sent us on a mission. We were to merely serve as bodyguards for a Corellian nobleman." Hans laughed to himself. "What could go wrong, right? One night, my master was called to a matter at the ground floor of our compound. That was when I received a distress call from the nobleman's stateroom. I chose to act quickly and rush in myself."
Anna leaned in with a curious stare. "I would've done the same," she assured.
Hans sighed as the haunting sights of his past returned to him. "Are you familiar with Count Dooku's assassin, Asajj Ventress?" Anna's grim gulp was enough of an answer as Hans returned. "I barged into the room to find that Sith witch choking the man we'd swore to protect. His limp body hit the ground just as I'd placed a call for help. I'll never forget Ventress' icy blue stare as she turned to me. All I could do was ignite my saber in self defense as her scarlet blades rushed towards me. Our duel was..." Hans scoffed. "I can't even call it that as she rapidly overwhelmed me. Her strikes still plague my dreams to this day. She quickly disarmed me and slashed behind, leaving a cruel scar across my back. A few inches deeper and I would've been paralyzed. She would've finished me then and there had reinforcements not barged in seconds later. Ventress fled, and I was left traumatized and ashamed."
Anna was unsure how to respond as she witnessed the pain in his listing eyes. "Um..." she mumbled. "That's rough."
"The Trial of the Flesh is a damn joke," Hans spat. "Who do the Jedi think they are to dub someone a knight after they've endured suffering? It's sadistic, but I digress."
Curiosity got the best of Anna as she asked, "Can I see...the scar?"
Hans smirked. "You can't see that much of me, sweetheart."
"What'd you call me?"
Hans rose from the storage unit and examined their surroundings. "Come on. We're just about at our stop." He pulled open the ventral hatch to reveal a smoggy skyline. "Get ready to jump for it!" he yelled over the blustering winds. Anna steadied herself as they sprung for the nearest rooftop. Upon landing, they were welcomed by an eerie silence. The departure of the nerfpacker's ship left the duo in an undisturbed, yet polluted section of the city. The upper city's steady flow of traffic was replaced by the occasional, fume-spewing freighter. Hans took another look at Anna's holomap and followed its details to a decrepit warehouse. They crouched by the ledge and observed an assortment of gritty thugs prowling about the premises.
"I bet their Slitters," Anna whispered.
"I count one too kriffing many," Hans replied. "Let's take them out but please, keep it quiet."
"No. I'm dressed all stealthily so I can alert everyone." Anna's sarcasm brought a glower to Hans' face as she dropped from the rooftop. She rolled behind a wall as a slender Nikto strutted around the corner. Before he'd made sense of his predicament, Anna grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him into the duracrete wall. By the time she emerged from cover, she noticed a pair of legs sliding across the mud-ridden floor. She snuck over to investigate and found Hans dragging an unconscious Twi'lek beside another thug he'd already defeated.
His wink was enough to say "Try and keep up."
Anna scowled and sped towards the warehouse's entryway. Hans positioned himself at the nearby window and snuck in from above. "Quit playing games," a woman's voice called and Anna froze. "Deroko? Where the blazes are you?" A green-skinned Mirialan stepped into view. Her violet eyes darted for her blaster as she quickly primed it. "Pilek? You out there?" She squinted and the sharp, geometric tattoos on her cheeks raised. "Sit tight, boys. Keep the vault secure while I check this out." The Mirialan stepped towards the doors, unaware of Anna prepared to pounce. The Padawan's heart sank when her target halted. Anna prepared to change spots, only to realize she was backed against a wall. The Mirialan turned with widened eyes as she spotted the mysterious intruder. She took aim, only to have her blaster flung up to the rafters. The Mirialan looked up to see Hans having snatched her weapon with the Force. Before she could react, Anna lunged forward and placed her in a chokehold.
Hans moved on to deal with any responders as Anna wrestled with her target. She tightened her grip on the Mirialan's neck as the thug elbowed in retaliation. Anna refused to yield and applied greater pressure with her dominant arm. Both combatants collapsed to the ground as Anna remembered her master's words.
"A sleeper chokehold should be a last resort," Mattias had said. "Performing such improperly could result in someone's death, young one. You mustn't stop airflow, but instead apply pressure to the arteries. A diminished blood supply to the brain can result in-"
"Unconsciousness," Anna thought as she pulled harder. The Mirialan's struggle lessened and her arms went limp. Anna shoved the knocked out thug off of her and caught her breath. She panicked as a figure leapt to her side, but soon realized it was Hans.
"You done?" he grumbled.
Anna huffed and reached for Hans' open hand. What she thought was a helping gesture turned out to just be him wiping sweat from his forehead. "This Mirialan mentioned something about a vault," Anna explained.
"Well, we've come this far." Hans replied. "Let's find the damn thing and see what all the fuss was about."
Hans and Anna split up once more, each traversing a slew of knocked out goons. Anna tried not to appear impressed with how many Hans had defeated, but his handiwork was remarkable. A familiar series of etchings caught her eye as Anna made for a shadowy corner. A pile of Hans' bludgeoned victims unintentionally pointed the way to a sealed gateway. Anna ran her finger across its grated surface and found a pair of unique slots. "Think I found the vault," she called. She pressed her index finger into one of the slots and then felt the talisman in her satchel. "Blast," she cursed. "Looks like each boss' necklace wasn't just a map, but a key as well. Both are needed to open the vault."
Anna jumped as a green lightsaber ignited in front of her neck. The bright, steaming plasma froze her in place as she held her breath and slowly looked left. As ominously anonymous as the night they'd met, the Bug remained a step ahead of her. "Then I'll be taking that second talisman off your hands," it said and brought the blade closer to her throat.