Chapter: 2 The Bug
"Fury blinds the widest of eyes."
Terror in the night! Coruscant's entertainment district is the latest setting in a string of murders with one piece of evidence in common: a lightsaber. Tensions run high as speculations over the wielder's affiliation come into question. On behalf of the Jedi Council, Master Destin Mattias and his padawan Anna Dellian are dispatched to investigate the sinister crimes. With a killer brandishing their sacred weapon on the loose, time runs short for when death will strike again...
Sending Jedi to investigate a crime already being labeled the "Jedi Murders" sounded wrong on all accounts. Anna leaned against the speeder's passenger cushion and allowed the wind to catch her hair. Her eyes scoured the countless ships trafficking by and she pondered their stories. She wondered how many Coruscanti really thought a Jedi could be responsible for such heinous crimes...or was one?
Mattias steered the speeder into a bustling sector reeking with smog and other fumes. He noticed Anna uncharacteristically keeping to herself and gave her a nudge. "How are you holding up?" he asked.
"How can people so quickly assume it was a Jedi?" she replied.
"The same way we'd so quickly assume it wasn't," Mattias quipped as Anna rolled her eyes. "Nothing trumps the truth, padawan. Once we find that light, all the rumor-filled shadows will fade away. You'd be surprised what fear does to people. It's the reason Separatist governments stay in power through it. All you need is one twisted soul willing to pull the trigger...or in this case, swing the saber."
Anna scoffed at the concept. "People should be smart enough to think and fight for themselves."
"Consider your privilege as a Jedi," Mattias said. "Not everyone is so fortunate."
Privilege? Anna thought to herself. Privilege had nothing to do with it. To Anna, the only person who could stop someone from stepping on her was herself. Why would it be different for anyone else? If more people took a stand, maybe the Separatists wouldn't have expanded as far as they had. Anna distracted herself from such heated thoughts as she read the nearby sign. She translated the Aurebesh to Uscru District and proceeded to research it on her datapad. Uscru was known as Coruscant's illustrious entertainment district. While its upper levels were home to regal opera houses, Uscru's lower tiers teemed with shabby nightclubs and divey bars. As Anna assumed, the scene of the crime happened in the latter levels.
Sirens blared as police cruisers flanked their craft. "Are you speeding, master?" Anna jested as she sat up.
"Relax," he chuckled. "It's an escort to the crime scene."
Sunlight depleted as they descended further into Coruscant's underbelly. Rusted metals swallowed their speeders as the world around them grew colder. Anna reflected on her initial beliefs of Coruscant's geography. Though she'd lived on the planet for as far back as she could remember, she had no idea how deep its city structure went. The speeders finally parked at the duracrete ledge of a ramshackle street. Shady bystanders scurried away at the sight of law enforcement as Anna and Mattias disembarked.
Her master handed her an onyx-colored robe. "Put this on," he said and equipped a similar garb. "The last thing we want to do is attract attention."
A trio of grungy, lightly armored individuals emerged from the police cruisers. A mix of heavy leathers swayed behind their booted feet while clunky helmets clanged atop their heads. What Anna found most striking were the mechanical coverings fastened to their eyes. The perpetual, yellow stares left any onlooker wondering if the officers were alien, human, or something else. Contrary to the lanky police droids patrolling the upper levels, underworld officers actually had the intimidation factor going for them. They had to in order to survive maintaining order in Coruscant's foulest reaches.
"Master Jedi," the centermost official greeted. Her voice was muffled behind a thick, leather cowl. Their uniforms were truly designed to enforce complete anonymity. "I am Officer Souz. When something happens in Uscru, I'm typically first on the spot. We're just below the crime scene in this apartment complex. I'll take you up while my companions secure the perimeter. Down here, you never know if an onlooker actually wants to put a laser in your back. They hate us cops as much as we hate them, you know."
Anna and Mattias followed Souz up a spiraling, corroded staircase. "We're here to put rumors of the Order's involvement in these murders at ease," Mattias said.
"Ironic that to do so, the Jedi Order must in fact...get involved." Souz jested. "It's the fourth door on the left here." She paused as a frail Twi'lek peeked into the room. "Hey!" she barked. "Get out of here, you damn junky." He shuddered at her booming voice but remained stagnant. "You wanna die?" He bolted when she reached for her blaster. "You'll have to excuse our methods, Master Jedi." She pat her holster and shook a fist. "Force is the only thing these crooks and curmudgeons listen to down here. Show a hint of weakness and they'll eat you alive."
"I totally get it," Anna added. "You'll find no weakness with us."
"Anna," Mattias grumbled.
Souz snorted beneath her obscurities. "Gutsy kid you've got there. She has a promising head on her shoulders. She'll need it for what she's about to see." The officer pushed open the already battered door to expose a heinous scene. Shattered glass and unused blaster clips littered the floor while loose wiring swayed beside the air vent. The malodorous stench from five corpses seeped into Anna's nose until she gagged.
Mattias' nose wrinkled as he cleared his throat. "By the Force," he whispered. "It was a slaughter."
Souz gestured to an array of scorch markings lining the wall like a crude constellation. "I got a call about blasterfire around four in the morning," she explained. "These saps didn't stand a chance. I'd call it a usual shootout but-" She pointed at a severed arm bent in the center of the room. Its contorted digits still loosely clutched an unkept blaster aimed towards the door.
Anna paced past the limb and found the rest of its body: a three-eyed Gran sprawled with mouth agape. "Definitely saber wounds," Mattias said. "All cauterized."
The state of each victim intrigued Anna as she trudged about the room. "This couldn't have been a Jedi," she insisted.
"You seem so sure," Souz grumbled.
"I'm curious about your deduction, padawan." Mattias always seemed to be a step ahead of Anna. But like the good mentor he was, he wished to see her take the initiative.
"I haven't mastered every form of lightsaber combat yet," Anna explained. "But none of them are this haphazard. Sliced limbs sure, but does this guy by the wall really need six...seven...eightstabs to the chest? I would hope even a fallen Jedi would be more precise."
Mattias smirked, having heard exactly what he'd hoped to. "She's right," he admitted. "Officer, we're dealing with a wannabe. Someone's got their hands on a lightsaber, but their no Jedi."
"Or are they," Souz advocated. "And they're smart enough to rig a crime scene." Mattias and Anna exchanged stumped gazes in the awkward silence. "Just a thought," she admitted. "With the craziness I've seen in Coruscant's underworld, I've learned to question everything."
"Not a bad way to live," Anna replied and knelt beside the nearest body. "And bouncing off of that, what'd this guy do to get impaled eight times? He's also got a grim laceration on his neck...the only wound not delivered by a lightsaber." She carefully examined the man's violet, amphibious skin. His nearly lidless, maroon eyes were rolled to one side as the rest of his head sat in a forest of tendrils protruding from his skull. "He's the same species as Master Kit Fisto," Anna recognized.
"A Nautolan," her master defined.
Souz activated a scanner on her vambrace which ran blue waves across the Nautolan's body. "I'll run him through my database and see what I can find," she said.
"Master," Anna inquired as they waited. "If by some sliver of a chance this was an act of Jedi vigilantism, is it heroic?"
"Woah," Mattias stopped her. "We don't even know if these murder victims were criminals. Don't be so quick to judge based on locations and appearances, Anna. Remember...there is no ignorance, th-"
"There is knowledge. I know, master." Anna grumbled but Mattias' glower made her heart sink. She knew better than to interrupt, yet there were times she felt she was being taught aspects she already knew.
"Well this is juicy," Souz said with rising anticipation. She pattered away at her vambrace keys until a hologram of the much more lively Nautolan appeared. "Gadalon Grik," she identified. "Co-founder of the Slitters, one of too many underworld gangs. Nothing is too heinous for these scummy guys and gals. We're talking hoverby shootings, drug peddling, and even slave trafficking."
"I'm starting to think our saber-wielding friend did Coruscant a favor," Anna remarked.
"Murder doesn't always equate justice," Mattias hastily retorted. Anna hummed in deep thought, realizing that Mattias didn't completely condemn murder. "Co-founder, you said?" Mattias inquired.
Souz rigorously scrolled through her data records. "Grik's associate isn't on record. Clearly he or she does less of the heavy lifting and this Nautolan paid for it."
Mattias stretched an empty palm to Grik's body. Anna watched as her master used the Force to manipulate the body's jacket. Pockets flapped open, zippers came undone, and an array of random articles floated before the Jedi. "See what you can find," Mattias ordered.
"Well there's something police droids can't do," Souz quipped.
"This is nothing," Mattias admitted. "Had we brought a Jedi blessed with the gift of psychometry, they could sense entire events just by touching an object."
"Yeah okay," Anna scoffed. "My fingers and eyes work just fine, thank you." She sifted through the hovering objects, most of which consisted of useless trash. A pair of scarlet cylinders fell into Anna's palms and she cautiously examined them. "What do have we here?"
Mattias quickly snatched the findings from her hand and tossed them to Souz. "Nothing good," he said.
"Death sticks," the officer said with great disgust. "Nasty things. Highly addictive and just as deadly."
Anna grasped the final trinket in the lineup of floating evidence. It was the chrome container the death sticks had fallen out of and looked like it could hold stacks of them. Anna squinted to identify the insignia etched on its side. "Dazzle-Daze," she read aloud. "Where the party never dies."
"But its patrons do," Mattias said. "Officer Souz, can you guide us to this Dazzle-Daze place?"
Souz nodded and led the Jedi outside. "I'll have my partners secure the scene," she said.
"Sounds like we're heading to a fashion show," Anna joked as they returned to the speeder.
"Don't let the glitzy name fool you," Souz warned. "Dazzle-Daze is the poor man's gala. Every lowlife can get high and party down in that sinkhole. That's where crooks come in to reap the spoils off anyone stupid enough to offer a hand."
Anna buckled in as Mattias flew after Souz's cruiser. Just when she thought they couldn't burrow deeper into the vestibule of lower city life, both speeders dipped into the shadows. A nauseating wave of odors made her eyes water. The inky visage of downtrodden denizens only sickened Anna further. The Jedi and the Republic they defended were out making the galaxy a better place...yet Coruscant, the alleged capital of prosperity, had layers of suffering beneath its rose tinting. The corruption of it all was unreal to Anna, and she contemplated if politicians like Supreme Chancellor Palpatine even knew such was happening. She couldn't believe the Republic's capital housed an underworld where police forces needed to rule through fear, more so to protect themselves. While the Jedi Temple had been her acclaimed home for years, it had also sheltered her from the bitter realities creeping in (or in this case under) her backyard.
A screen on the speeder's dashboard flashed as Souz's voice crackled through the speakers. "My team got some more info for you, Master Jedi." Her masked face was just as daunting onscreen as it was in person. "The apartment killings are linked with others across Coruscant. All victims from the other districts were also Slitter gang members. Whoever's carrying out the kills-"
"Is fighting this to the top," Mattias realized as he scratched his beard. They parked beside a magenta-lit, bustling club. "Thanks for the guidance, officer. We'll take it from here."
"You sure about that?" she insisted. "Trust me, you're gonna need a gun beside you."
"Trust me," Mattias insisted. "We don't."
"With all due respect, Master Jedi-" Souz grumbled. "It's your funeral." Anna and Mattias secured their hoods before advancing to the club. Its four-armed, Besalisk bouncer looked more intoxicated than intimidating. His silvery, folded forearms rippled as he snarled.
"What's wit da cloaks?" he bellowed while his wattle jiggled. "More rich folks who don't wanna be seens wit da likes of us?"
Mattias waved his hand across the bouncer's grizzly face. "We're good friends of yours."
Entranced by his words, the burly Besalisk was quick to repeat them. "You're good friends o' mine."
Anna smirked as her master continued his mind trick. "We're always welcome."
"Yous twos is always welcome," he replied with a pathetic grin plastered on his flabby lips. He let us pass before returning to his gritty self. Dazzle-Daze was pumping with manic beats and frantic strobes. Crowds of various patrons were clustered across the dancefloor in sweaty heaps. The stench of alcohol and body odor made up most of the musty air. Anna couldn't tell if the club reeked worse than the apartment crime scene.
"Be wary, padawan." Mattias yelled. Raising his voice in the club was the equivalent of whispering. "This place is filled with distractions. Stay close."
Anna used her hood to block out most of the strobes. She focused on the floor, which was littered with spilled drinks and passed out patrons. "Let's get these decibels cranking!" a Xexto DJ screamed from the stage. Her call was answered by an array of belligerent partygoers, each belting their own screeches. Contrary to the brawny Besalisk at the door, the Xexto was practically skeletal. Her four, emaciated arms jabbed away at various keyboards and loudspeakers. Several scantily clad Twi'leks and humans danced at the DJ's sides while patrons threw credits onstage.
All of the thunderous music made it almost impossible for Anna to hear herself think. She reckoned Elsa wouldn't have survived five seconds in the club. As she followed her master, she noticed a young couple in the corner of her eye. A Twi'lek man and human woman were nestled in each others arms. Half-empty glasses of a magenta substance swayed in their loose fingers as they locked lips. Anna was caught off guard by how forceful their kisses were, yet the couple enjoyed every moment of it. Their embrace tightened as each instant of passion escalated. The Twi'lek dipped his face into her neck and adventurously kissed her bare shoulder. The woman cooed and opened her dazed eyes. Her jovial smile vanished when she caught Anna staring awkwardly at them.
"What do you think you're doing?" she spat at Anna and grit her teeth. "Watching a holofilm? Get out of here, you creep!"
The Twi'lek cackled and pat his lap. "Unless you'd like to join in, baby."
Disgusted, his lover delivered a resounding slap across his face and stormed off. "Pig," she uttered.
Anna didn't realize she'd stared so long nor why she would in the first place. Until that instant, she'd only ever heard of romance and never actually seen it. Jedi weren't allowed to love, for attachment would only lead to jealousy and the fear of loss. Both were ominous stepping stones towards the Dark Side of the Force. Those people, Anna thought. Whatever emotions they were experiencing didn't seem that bad. Not Dark Side worthy, anyway. Anna broke free of such idle feelings and remembered her master's call for focus. She rejoined Mattias, who was leaned over the bar talking with a stranger. This man wore nothing more than a pair of navy pants tight enough to rip with any sudden movement. He brandished enough tattoos across his lean, upper body to qualify as clothing. His dirty blonde locks curled against his inked shoulders as he lounged about. A bronze necklace jingled across his chest each time he shifted.
"Listen, old timer." The stranger's voice was smoky, yet honeyed. "The only thing I know about the Slitters is that they're the last people anyone wants to mess with. Some of my tats cover scars from a mugging perpetrated by Slitter thugs."
"Thank you for your time," Mattias simply replied. He moved on without realizing Anna wasn't in tow. She had removed her hood and continued to observe the inked stranger.
"Like what you see?" he asked and Anna blocked her gaze with a hand. "You're no broad after my body," he snorted. "Whatever fine clothes you've got tucked away under that cloak tell a better story, just like my tattoos. That's what you were looking at anyway, right?"
Anna played along and sat beside him. "You got enough stories there?" she queried and gestured to his body.
"Each is a mark of where I've been or where I'm heading," he proclaimed. "I'm Hevrin."
"Ann-" Anna stopped herself, falling victim once again to being far too trusting.
She bit her lip as Hevrin chuckled. He shrouded further laughter behind a swig of his drink. "Ann, huh? That's a beautiful name." Anna's heart raced as he placed his hand atop hers. Her eyes widened as she focused intently on the tattooed serpents slithering over his knuckles. "Don't be scared," he said. "I trust you more than that sketchy-looking old man. You looking for the Slitters too?" Anna stared into his heavily dilated eyes and slowly slid her arm free. "Trust me," he intoned.
Anna swallowed heavily and sighed. "Alright," she said. "What do you know?"
Hevrin beamed with exuberance. "Thatagirl," he said. "I knew you'd come around. You see truth is, I'm a lowly runner for the Slitters. I report back to the bosses with daily findings, but after some fallouts...I'm not the biggest fan. You looking to take them down?"
"Something like that," Anna answered.
"As long as I get a piece of the payback," Hevrin said. "You know, our boss is here. I can take you to him." He noticed how angsty Anna grew and rose to meet it. "We can ice him together."
Anna winced and peered across the dancefloor. "I should meet up with the old man first. Thank you for this information-"
"There's no time," Hevrin reached for her hand but she pulled away. "Look, my boss comes and goes as he pleases. He could be long gone by the time you find your partner. We gotta trust each other."
"But-"
"How about this," Hevrin insisted. "I just show you where the boss is. Then you can come back with your friend...deal?"
Anna huffed and obliged. "Deal."
"You seem tense," Hevrin admitted and reached into his pocket. Anna raised a brow when she heard a familiar clink and Hevrin withdrew a pair of death sticks. "Take a load off," he insisted.
Anna stuttered for a moment while eyeing the crimson fluids. "I'm good," she asserted.
"Suit yourself," Hevrin sighed. "Follow me." He expertly guided her through the raucous club and through a corroded door. What little fresh air there was wafted its way to Anna's senses. "This alleyway's typically where the boss sets up his deals," Hevrin said as he secured the door behind them. "Just making sure we weren't followed."
"Hate to break it to you, Hevrin." Anna said. "I don't think your boss is here."
"Oh he is."
CLUNK!
Anna's legs buckled as a fist struck the back of her head. She fell to her knees as the mucky street swayed around her. Waves of throbbing pain swelled from her head as multiple figures approached from the shadows. The distant, muffled rumble of club music was irritating to her senses as she struggled to stay balanced. As Anna's vision returned, she made out the glint of knives and blunt objects swaying in the hands of numerous thugs. "That...was a cheap shot," she groaned. "Coward."
"If it works, it works. That's what I always say," Hevrin mocked as he ripped off her satchel and rummaged through it. He pulled out barely a handful of credits and tsked. "Ann, you disappoint me. This isn't even enough for a decent meal. And here I was thinking you were someone from the upper city."
"We could always sell her to the slave markets," an Aqualish thug offered. He knelt before Anna while waving his knife. "Let's inspect the goods first."
Anna was at a point of no return. But while she was deep in trouble, she was far from helpless. She counted adversaries as her vision steadied and prepared to spring. She had heard stories of slavery in the Outer Rim and how those affected wished for death. Such a fate would not befall her as she let the emotions behind it fuel her fury. Anna permit the Aqualish to remove her cloak solely so she could deliver a swift uppercut to his face. His knife clamored to the floor and he uttered a grueling howl, for one of his tusks was dislocated from the blow.
Anna kicked the ailing thug to her side and wriggled out of her cloak. With a crack of her neck and flare of her nostrils, she assumed a fighting stance. "Come on then!" she beckoned.
The thugs eagerly obliged and charged her from all sides. Anna backflipped over the initial chargers so they'd collide with one another. She then pushed off the nearest wall to gain momentum and kicked a crook across the jaw. Anna ducked between a foe's knife jabs and countered with a volley of punches. Mimicking her, a stern-faced Nikto threw a punch from the darkness. Anna caught his wrist, snapped it, and flung him into a pile of trash. Peculiar, she thought. I could've sworn at least one more-
THWACK!
A snaggletoothed woman struck Anna's back with a scavenged pipe. The padawan staggered into one of the damp walls. Her rising soreness coupled with the woman's irksome laughter ignited something within her. Anna's fists trembled, teeth gritted, and brows furrowed. She felt pressure building up without warning. It was like a surging fire consuming her emotions. What followed was an oddly euphoric, inviting sensation. The kind that seemed as lethal as it did friendly. Anna resisted its alluring pull until the woman bashed her again. Whatever essence extended an unseen hand was furiously accepted as Anna spun. The cackling woman swung again as Anna lunged to meet her. The padawan bore her teeth and loosed an animalistic screech. She caught her foe's pipe mid-swing and wrestled her for it. When the startled thug didn't yield, Anna headbutt her and yanked the weapon from her hands. The ache against her forehead was numbed by adrenaline as she stared at her cowering enemy. Anna swung the pipe across her face, knocking her unconscious and sending her dislodged snaggletooth clattering down the alley. Riding her furious frenzy, Anna flung the pipe into another thug's face and listened to him wail.
Hevrin crept from the sidelines. "You're no martial artist," he jeered. "But you're a decent brawler. It won't save you though." He chuckled as he drew a dagger.
He didn't get to swipe his weapon before Anna ignited her lightsaber. A flash of blue swept across both of them and Hevrin's blade fell in two, sizzling pieces. By the time he could comprehend it all, Anna's hand was already at his throat along with her weapon. Though she wasn't as attuned to the Force as her sister was, Anna could sense Hevrin's rising fear and chose to exploit it.
"If it works, it works." Anna panted while giving him a death glare. "Right?" Hevrin remained frozen, unsure of Anna's next move. She brought the saber close enough to make his neck sweat profusely. "You're not gonna off me that easily," she growled. "Now tell me where your boss is."
"So you can off him too?" Hevrin hissed through his squirms. His struggle lessened when he noticed Anna's bewilderment. "You're not the Bug, are you?"
"Is that the killer?" Anna asked.
Hevrin scoffed. "For a moment I thought at least that old friend of yours was the Bug." Each of Hevrin's statements only confused Anna further. Little did she realize, he was merely stalling while he slid a pistol out from his waistband. "Perhaps you were his sidekick and we could draw him out with you." Using the shadows to shroud his movements, he gingerly aimed the weapon at her torso and caressed the trigger. Before he could fire, an invisible power pulled the weapon out of his hands. Hevrin and Anna watched the pistol twirl across the alley and into Mattias' hand.
Her master examined the firearm with a somber gaze. "A shot from this caliber would've killed you," he deduced. "At best, you'd have been paralyzed from the waist down."
"I had it under control," Anna grumbled.
"Hardly," Mattias interjected while observing her handiwork. "I told you to remain focused and to stay by my side-"
Anna tightened her grip on Hevrin. "This isn't the time for a lecture, master!" she barked. "I have a suspect!"
"Mind your tone, young one." Mattias communicated his order calmly, yet it matched Anna's intensity. "What you have is gone too far. I sense you've so easily given in to the pull."
Anna's eyes widened. "Wait...what, the Dark Side? Master, come on! I'm not going full Sith Lord or something. Everyone here got what was coming to them and I had to defend myself."
"It's not what you did. It's how you did it, Anna." Mattias elaborated. "This so-called interrogation you're attempting. It's not the Jedi way." He sighed heavily and beckoned with his hand. "I'll take it from here. Go wait at the speeder."
"Not a chance," Anna asserted.
"I'm not asking," Mattias ordered. "Perhaps I was wrong to think you were ready to start the Trials."
"I am ready!" Anna exclaimed. During the outburst, her grip on Hevrin loosened and he seized the opportunity to knee her in the chest. Mattias rushed over, but Hevrin shoved the recovering Anna into him and bolted into Dazzle-Daze. The Jedi frustratedly shoved off of one another. "Great!" Anna blurted. "Look what you made me do."
"Not now," Mattias groaned. "After him!"
The duo charged into the club only to find the same boisterous mess they'd left behind. "Let's split up," Anna said.
"Not on your life," Mattias replied and pulled her close. Anna hesitantly trudged beside him as they weaved through the pugnacious crowds. "Reach out with the Force," he said. "We'll find him."
"Whatever," Anna mumbled beneath the club's outrageous music. Any attempt to sense Hevrin was disrupted by the blaring beats and her bumping into countless patrons. Suddenly, Anna distinguished two fields of aggression sifting across the dancefloor. Like her poor connection with the Force, the energy fields were sporadic and faded. "Master," she said and nudged him. "I think I've got something."
Mattias stretched out with his greater connection and sensed a pair of armed Niktos emerging through the crowd. He Force pushed one of them into the stage while Anna brawled the other. They wrestled for the gun until it accidentally discharged towards the ceiling. Screams ensued as crowds dispersed in a wild stampede. Anna punched at the Nikto's leathery face until she noticed Hevrin amidst the fleeing patrons. "There he is!" she called out.
He slipped through a second exit as Anna kicked the door down. Mattias slid behind her, rigorously trying to keep up. "So long, Jedi!" Hevrin mocked as he sprinted down an alley. "Both of you were far too stupid to be the Bug! You were looking for the Slitters' leader while talking to him the whole time! Hevrin Setro lives to fight another day, suckers!"
A green beam flashed from around the corner and Hevrin came to a halt. Anna and Mattias froze as he turned with a look of stupefied disbelief. Smoke emanated from a deep, cauterized, diagonal wound across his torso. All he could do was shrug as his eyes twitched and he struggled to find words...or air for that matter. He crashed against the pavement and his assailant stepped into view. The slender silhouette deactivated its green lightsaber and ripped Hevrin's necklace off. Meanwhile, a Slitter thug snuck behind the Jedi and took aim.
A pair of lasers sounded and the duo spun in alarm. Their would-be killer fell with two holes in her chest as Souz emerged from behind. "Shoot first and fill the datawork later. I told you, you'd need a gun." she said. The three of them ran for Hevrin's body as his murderer made a run for it. "Anyone care to fill me in?" she asked.
"The saber killer just finished off the gang's remaining leader," Mattias explained.
"That killer is mine!" Anna roared and dashed ahead.
Souz didn't waste a moment to call on her comlink. "This is Officer Souz requesting all back up to converge on the Uscru district. Jedi are in pursuit of the alleged saber killer. Multiple fatalities. Proceed with extreme caution!"
"Stop in the name of the Jedi Order!" Mattias yelled fruitlessly to the Bug.
"Has yelling for someone to stop running actually ever worked?" Anna quipped.
The Bug ascended up rickety scaffolding and kicked anything that wasn't bolted down at its pursuers. Once on a rooftop, the Bug reignited its lightsaber and sliced away at the upper foundation. The blade's green glow illuminated its wielder's lightly armored body. "Brace!" Souz warned as the dismantled scaffolding came crashing down.
Mattias threw himself in front of the officer and used the Force to keep debris back. "Anna!" he grunted. "Just go!"
Compelled to stop the killer, Anna resorted to acrobatics and climbed the building. While it was no obstacle course at the Jedi Temple, the collapsing structure provided a plethora of grips and piping for her to scale. Anna vaulted over the ledge and observed a figured hunched over the adjacent side. Its helmeted head swiveled to meet her gaze with a pair of bulbous, glass eyes. Each cyan iris focused on Anna as she activated her lightsaber.
"With a helmet like that," she huffed to catch her breath. "I see why they call you the Bug." Rather than respond, the Bug activated its own blade and assumed a stance Anna wasn't familiar with. She positioned herself with feet evenly spaced and lightsaber pointed directly at her foe. "Bring it," she growled.
Given her aching fatigue, Anna sought to neutralize her opponent effective immediately. Ataru would be her kindred ally as she launched towards the Bug. Blue struck green as sparks rained across the rooftop. The Bug effectively dodged her wild swings and delivered an critical slash once she'd finished. Anna parried, but the Bug's momentum sent her spiraling onto the next building. She landed in a drain puddle and saw the Bug's reflection descending upon her. Anna hastily spun and rose her saber to meet her attacker's. The Bug leaned in until the heat of their blades was drove Anna to sweat. She despised fighting on the defensive and rolled to buy herself time. Both fighters paced in a circle with weapons flourished. While the faceless Bug appeared unfazed and battle-hardened, the disheveled Anna struggled to hide her limp.
Anna couldn't distinguish what form the Bug was using and therefore couldn't counter. It's attacks aren't direct enough to be using Form I or complex enough to be Form VII, Anna thought. My speed would've obliterated Shii-cho and Juyo.
She considered submitting to the pull she had in the alleyway. It worked to defeat the thugs, but what Mattias said about the Dark Side concerned her. Anna trusted herself not to go any further than necessary, plus Mattias wasn't there to witness the situation. She figured he'd be pleased enough if she put a stop to the killer. Just accept the pull one more time, Anna told herself before focusing on her pain. She let it empower her fury until the deactivation of a lightsaber snapped her out of it. The Bug holstered its weapon and stood with open palms.
"What?" Anna blurted. "You're surrendering?"
"Never," the Bug finally spoke, its voice barely tangible through its helmet. "You're just not worth my time." In frenzied hatred, Anna took a swing at her unarmed opponent. "But you have your uses," the Bug hissed. It dodged Anna's weak attack and threw a scraggly tarp over her. She struggled to break free until the Bug kicked her off the nearest ledge. Anna braced in her ensnarement as her tender body battered into unseen obstacles. She smacked against duracrete with a thud and flailed beneath the tarp. She heard encroaching footsteps and quickened her scuffle as she rose to her feet. With a swipe of her lightsaber, the tarp split in two. Anna emerged like a cornered animal with bloodshot eyes and bared teeth. To her surprise, the Bug had vanished. In its place was a squadron of Coruscant police with blasters ready.
"Drop the weapon!" an officer yelled.
"Down on the ground, now!" another barked.
Anna's pant became a flustered sigh. Her frantic eyes listed across the officers as they closed in on her. They were all identically anonymous, but Anna deduced none of them were Souz. She frustratedly deactivated her lightsaber as an officer slapped a pair of binders on her.