Chapter 69

Shili

The stone beneath them was damp with mildew. The cave's entrance-covering waterfall showered them with misty vapour and pooled in the uneven surface. The only dry area was in the very back of the cave, where a curve in the rock structure hid the space from the vapour shower. That was where Trav-iss, Agatha and Luuna were huddled down around a lone heat generator. Talos had doled out their remaining food supplies. They had eaten. Trav-iss had begun to complain about his gashed leg again.

Talos and Miriam sat closer to the cave entrance, keeping an eye on both the Senator and the cave entrance in case of intruders. It was possible that the Jedi would not succeed in her task. Recently, Miriam had reported hearing ships zoom by overhead. It was possible that pirate reinforcements were hunting them now.

Riyo leant against the lone log that had been swept inside the cave. It was still damp and probably rotten on the inside, but the outer bark was still solid enough to support her weight. Her mind had been full of worry, buzzing with anxieties like an overexcited flitterbat. The kyber necklace that Miriam had given her was resting between her fingers, and she carefully focussed on it.

While she and Caloc had been playing dejarik and other games, he had taught her how to roll a medallion across your fingers, and to make it disappear into your sleeve. To an outside observer, the medallion appeared to have vanished. It was a simple enough trick in theory, but in practice, she had struggled. With nothing better to do, she began to run the kyber crystal along her fingers. Surprisingly, it calmed her down.

The first flicker of memory came in the form of her parents. What were they doing at the moment? Had they been caught in one of the terrorist attacks? She hoped not. Their home was on the city outskirts, but it was still possible that the terrorists might attack civilian targets. How was Pantora fairing? Had the Jedi helped them?

And thinking of the Jedi, Riyo glanced up at the waterfall. Stass Allie would be fighting off the hunting party now. She could picture the Jedi, standing with Mark and the Lieutenant, emerald lightsaber blazing through the trees. She had grown fond of all three offworlders, and hoped that they would survive.

And then the Jedi's blade shimmered and shifted from it's brilliant green to a muted blue. The blue light illuminated the scarred face of Caloc. Had he surivived the pirate's first attack? If so, where was he, and why wasn't he helping them? Glancing down at the crystal twisting over her fingers, Riyo pondered her friendship with Caloc. They had known each other for less than a day, and yet she was certain that he was to be trusted. More than that, she could see him becoming a good friend and confidant. Never before had she met someone that had broken through her guard that quickly.

It was the sound got her attention. The constant background roar of falling and landing water seemed to lessen slightly, and she looked at the falls. In the centre of the falls, the white water parted like an invisible hand was drawing back a curtain. Three mud-soaked, grime-covered figures stepped through, one with her hand stretched above her tendrilled head. They wore dark green tarpaulins, the hood covering their features as the water fell back down behind them.

Talos walked forward, his blaster swinging up and the in-built torch flicking on. The three figures shielded their eyes, but with their faces illuminated, their identities became clear. Everyone in the cave visibly relaxed.

Talos lowered the weapon. "Good to see you all made it. I take it you won the battle?"

"We almost didn't.", Telle replied, reaching for the canteen strapped to the Senate Guard's hip. "How is everyone?"

Talos could only watch as she unstoppered his water and drained it in seconds. She threw the commando the now-empty canteen and stared at him insistently, waiting for his answer. He sighed, reclipping the bottle to his belt before answering, "Everyone is exhausted, ma'am. I doubt that we can continue to keep up this pace much longer. At the very least, Luuna needs a good night's rest. I'd like to get Trav-iss off his leg too, and to look over the three of you for injuries."

The three in question exchanged a quick glance, and something passed amongst them. Clearly, the battle had shaken them all, pushing them to their physical limits. Stass seemed the most settled, but there was an air of cautionary alertness around her, like her senses were dialled up to eleven.

"Jedi.", the voice came from around the curve of the cave, and Trav-iss, supported by Agatha, limped forward. The exhausted Tholothian turned to look at him, and he smirked with both mirth and irritation written clearly across his face. "I see that you survived your poorly conceived trap. Now will you finally GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Stass' tendrils quivered in irritation, but she kept her face neutral. "It is late, Senator. Night is upon us. I suggest that we take some time to rest and recuperate. The hunt is over, and we should be about a half days travel from the top of the valley by my calculations."

"And what guarantee can you give that I will be back on Coruscant in time for my speech?", Trav-iss walked straight up to the Jedi and stared her directly in the eyes as he said the words. His voice was filled with anger now, but his eyes were alive with fear. Riyo had never seen that in him, not once since they had crashed. Was he more afraid now then when they were being hunted? Why?

She met his gaze evenly, "I have no such guarantee, Senator. In fact, from what you admitted earlier, you might not be allowed to make your speech. The Chancellor will order an inquiry into your blackmail."

Trav-iss spluttered for a moment, his hands reaching out to almost strangle the Tholothian.

She spoke before he could touch her. "I imagine that you will do anything to keep that information secret. You might try to kill me yourself. So feel lucky that you are travelling with someone like me. I don't take revenge, Torn, even against idiot Senator's who have no idea how galactic politics work. In fact, I give you my solemn promise that I am doing my best to get you to Coruscant, despite the fact you are as corrupt as a Hutt playing a frizbok game."

She turned to go, but Telle stepped forward and jabbed an accusing finger into Trav-iss' chest, "Why are you attracting so much attention, Senator?"

He seemed taken aback by the question, and the person it came from. And he was still reeling from the Jedi's own accusations. "Well… I… We… I am a Senator, Lieutenant. We are always targets for one group or another."

"But you never have been.", Stass pressed on. Riyo saw that the Jedi and the officer were digging for something, but what? "All this time you have never once said a thing on the Senate floor. You stand there, look important and vote. Half the time, you aren't even there. So why, three days from our arrival, is it that you are attacked? Why would pirates be so interested in your speech? Who else knows about your blackmail?"

Why indeed? Riyo thought, and could see that both Miriam and Agatha were also thinking over the question. Trav-iss though, only muttered a profanity, something about the Jedi being too busy to keep him safe, and stomped back to the back of the damp cave.

Riyo crept a little closer to Stass. She had been following Trav-iss closely for the last two years. She looked up to him, ignoring his faults and concentrating on the diplomat he was. She had never seen any evidence of foul play. For that matter, she had never seen him at a loss for words before. But over the past day, she had seen him uncovered as a blackmailer, a coward and a nuisance. It wouldn't surprise her if he knew why they were being attacked now.

"What if this has nothing to do with the blackmail?", Agatha said.

Stass chewed her lip as she thought about it, then nodded slowly. "I agree. Trav-iss is simply a pawn in a game of Shah-tezh. A piece used to gain advantage over another piece. But now comes the greatest question of the lot. Who is the Imperator of this game?"

Riyo stared at her. She had heard of Shah-tezh before. The game was played on a board of black and white squares. You played with nine types of pieces, and whoever killed the Imperator won the game. But what did the Jedi mean? Perhaps who she was supposed to be focussing on was not the Imperator of this game, but the one moving the pieces.

"Will we really be out of here by tomorrow?", Miriam interrupted, pushing her way into the conversation. The glimmer of hope in her tired smile was infectious.

Riyo watched as Stass closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming herself. "Out of this accursed valley, yes. If we are near a town, I don't know. What I know is this: we need to get that pompous, self-important Senator to Coruscant as quickly as we can or I will probably murder him myself."

She had trouble falling asleep. They had voted and decided to remain in the cave for the night, resting up for the hike the next day. The jungle was full of noise. And every noise kept Riyo awake. She spent the night restlessly turning back and forth on the padded beds that Stass claimed to have found 'amongst the ship'. They were thin and hard, originally flat until they filled with a small amount of air for cushioning. They were far from comfortable, but preferable to the stone floor. Riyo was grateful for that at least.

But with lack of sleep came the wild imaginings again. She pictured Caloc again, but this time a broken body in the shell of his starfighter, wasting to a rotten corpse as it drifted through space. Again, the question appeared in her mind – Did Caloc survive? If he had somehow gotten away from the pirates, did he make it to Shili? Maybe he was looking for them even now, coordinating with authorities and getting more Jedi to help find Senator Trav-iss. But deep down she knew it wasn't true. Caloc was dead, or maybe lost somewhere. He was all alone, and she hoped that she would be able to see him again. How was it that in the little time they had before the attack had occurred, he had made such an impact on her?

Her brain flickered to Trav-iss. Why was he being attacked? Was it the terrorists, following them from Pantora. She didn't know how hyperspace worked exactly, but she was sure that tracking a lightspeed capable vessel wasn't that easy. Besides, Mark had said that the Mining Guild had attacked them first, not terrorists. But maybe it was a conspiracy? That seemed like nonsense, but how else did one explain terrorists, miners and pirates working together?

She sighed and got up from the mattress. With her brain buzzing as much as it was, she wouldn't be getting any sleep soon. At the entrance of the cave, she could see the lone figure on watch, sitting on a stone by the wall. Their silhouette was definitely female. Talos and Mark were lying nearby, the former still in his blue and white armour. That could not be comfortable. Maybe Stass was on watch. There was no sign of the Jedi near them. Perhaps she could help her sort her racing mind.

As she stumbled across the cold, damp stone towards the sentry, she realised that it wasn't Stass. It was Telle. She turned to retreat back to her mattress, when the lieutenant spoke.

"Are you having trouble sleeping, young Riyo?", she turned to look at the Senate aide.

"A little.", Riyo replied, "It's like my brain is moving too fast, trying to find answers to questions that don't exist yet. I can't relax."

Telle nodded sympathetically. "I get the same way before a test at the academy. My mind thinks of the worst possibilities and concentrates on those. Eventually, everything becomes a muddle. Do you want to talk about it?"

Riyo considered her options. She could decline and go back to bed. That wouldn't help her to sleep though. She might as well ask where Stass was. The Jedi had gone outside while the other were preparing their makeshifts bedrolls. She didn't appear to have returned. Alternatively, she could take Telle up on her offer and try to make sense of her thoughts. That was really the only option available to her, if she were being honest.

"I am worried about Trav-iss.", she admitted to the lieutenant. "I… keep wondering if he is more involved in this that I thought. I have been his aide for two years, and never saw any hint of blackmail or corruption. But if even Agatha didn't see it… Well, I am just concerned that maybe I don't know him."

Telle let a long, low breath, then took another into her lungs. She continued this for a few more deep breathes, then shuffled over so that the handmaiden could squeeze in beside her on the flat rock. Riyo did so, and they sat beside each other for a few seconds, listening to the silence. A beast of some kind roared in the distance, and a thousand species of insect were creating an orchestra of trills and chatters.

Telle broke the peaceful lack of noise first, "I don't think that he is involved in the terrorism, Riyo. They wouldn't be trying to kill him if he were. But there is something or someone in your government trying to manipulate this situation. Perhaps they are responsible for our crashing here."

"But who?", Riyo asked, "We are a diplomatic moon. We elect our leader. Trav-iss won easily during the election."

"Was his opponent happy about that?", Telle asked, an eyebrow quirked.

Riyo thought back. No, Teetee Minau had not been 'pleased'. He had been downright explosive. There had been threats and even an attempt on Trav-iss life in the months after the election before he had finally calmed down enough and gradually accepted Trav-iss' win. "No, not really."

"That cannot be all that you are frustrated with.", Telle said, studying the handmaiden's face.

For a moment, Riyo considered leaving the subject alone. But it was one of the issues that kept appearing in the forefront of her mind.

"Do you think that Caloc is alive?"

The question seemed to take Telle by surprise. She blinked, then tilted her head towards the aide with an amused smile on her face. "I'd like to think so. "The first time I met Caloc, he disappeared in a fiery explosion as a battle cruiser came under attack and reappeared half-frozen on the deck of different cruiser. He is quite literally one of either the most resourceful or the luckiest men I have ever met, and if anyone could survive impossible scenarios, he could."

"So he will be okay?", Riyo looked down at her feet.

Telle stared at her. "That's not what I said. I said that Caloc is lucky and resourceful. Neither is a guarantee against death. I worry for him. He may well be dead. But I have hope. Really, that's all we have. We hope we make it out of this valley tomorrow. We hope that we get to Coruscant. And personally, I hope that we can see Caloc again."

Riyo felt a tear roll unbidden down her cheek. They sat for a moment, enjoying the silence again. Riyo studied the woman beside her. She knew that Telle was only a few years older than her, yet she seemed far more mature. Perhaps it was the militaristic air that she carried around with her. "Is he your friend?"

Telle looked at her for clarification, raising an eyebrow.

"You said that Caloc was one of the luckiest men you know,", Riyo explained, "but you never called him your friend."

They sat for a couple more minutes as Telle again considered her answer. Outside the cave, a yowling howl filled the air. Riyo started a little. Suddenly, a quiet beep sounded. Telle sat up straighter, and her slightly pointed ears twitched to identify the noise. Then, a small sphere was thrown through the waterfall that covered the entrance. It landed not far away: a metallic shell with a small red light. Riyo cocked her head at it, not understanding what was happening.

The lieutenant realised what the device was instantly. She ran forward and grabbed the sphere, throwing it back through the waterfall in a single motion. Half a second later, the falls exploded inwards. Water vapour surged around them, drowning them both in heated, steaming water. It blew into Riyo's eyes, and she tried to blink it away, brain still not comprehending what was happening.

When she could see again, she spotted Telle staring forward at the falls, those monstrous spines already extended from her arms, back and forehead. Her hair, originally in a single long ponytail, had been drenched and now hung like a sodden rope against her uniform's shoulders. A guttural roar sounded, and a man dove through the water, clawed hands outstretched at Riyo's neck.

It was a Trandoshan, dappled skin blackened around the mouth and maw dripping with blood. The bloody mouth snapped at her, and Riyo screamed. The Trandoshan's eyes suddenly went glassy as Telle charged at him, driving her shoulder into the reptile's soft belly. He went flying against the far wall, crunching painfully into the stone wall.

Turning, he roared a wordless challenge at Telle, and drew two long metal batons from his belt. The end's let out a loud THUDUM as her touched them together. Riyo may not have known much about blasters, but the Pantoran Guards carried concussive batons back in Fortress. Lunging forward, the Trandoshan swept the two batons forward in a downwards strike at the lieutenant's head.

Telle reacted instantly, bringing up her left arm to block the attack behind the concussive head. The spines there clattered and rasped loudly against the metallic baton. Pulling her arm back, Telle managed to snag one of the batons and throw it from the Trandoshan's grip. Before it could hit the ground, she held it in her own hand. Giving the stolen weapon an experimental spin, she levelled it at her enemy's chest.

For his part, the Trandoshan gave a strangled yip, his long tongue extending from his blackened, toothless mouth to scrape along the charred lips. Blood flicked from it's end as he snapped it back into his mouth.

"Let me guess.", Telle chuckled, her eyes as focussed as an auto-turret's laser, "The explosion shorted out your blaster?"

The Trandoshan answered with another animalistic roar and pulled another of the exploding metal spheres from his belt. He drew back his arm and threw it, aiming for the Senator's party huddled in the back of the cave. Again, Telle's arm flashed out at inhuman speed. The spines intercepted the device, slowing it's high arc so it clattered to the ground behind her, red light still blinking on the case.

Riyo moved with untrained instinct. She hurried forward and scooped up the sphere. Running for the waterfall, she tried to remember her high school athletics training. Stamping her right foot forward, she pivoted and launched the bomb like a shotput. It flew through the curtain of water, and a second later another explosion rocked the caves, sending more vapour pouring in through the opening.

This time Riyo turned away and let the vapour fly across her back, so she was still able to watch as Telle leaned forward and delivered a straight punch into the reptilian man's stomach. She was also able to hear the cries of alarm from the back of the cave. Everyone was up and watching the fight. Trav-iss was hiding behind both Miriam and Agatha, using them as cover. Luuna was painfully half-sitting up, supported by her elbows.

Mark and Talos were kneeling, blasters trained on the fight. They weren't firing. Riyo knew why. The fight was moving too fast, and any shot they took might have taken out Telle instead of her opponent.

Suddenly, another figure burst through the waterfall, holding a blazing green blade above her head. It easily swept through the air and cleaved a rock from the wall. But the rock did not fall to the ground. It hovered for a microsecond, then flew sideways and slammed into the Trandoshan, pushing him a meter to the left. Mark and Talos both took the moment and shot the man in the chest.

Not even two short-range bolts were enough to stop the beast. He simply stood up and launched another fist at Telle's face. A drop of water obscured what happened next, but a deathly yelp filled the cave. When the water cleared, Telle was standing over the Trandoshan, spines dripping with feral black blood and breathing hard. The Trandoshan lay still, unmoving, on the stone floor.

Riyo sunk to the floor, clutching her head. It was pounding with even more questions now. She never heard the chorus of beeps. But she saw the single red dot pulsing from the bandolier around the man's chest.

"Grenade!", she cried.

Trav-iss moved first, pushing his human shields out of the way and running for the cave entrance. Agatha was on his heels. Stass ushered them through the waterfall, then turned and hurried Telle through. Mark and Miriam had grabbed Luuna's stretcher and ran through the entrance after them. Only Talos, Stass and Riyo remained now, and Riyo quickly scooted back to her bedroll. She scooped up their bag of medical supplies, Caloc's satchel, and the container of nutrient cubes that was their meagre rations. Then an arm curled around her waist and Talos was dragging her through the waterfall, followed by Stass.

"Come on, kid!", he yelled harshly, "We don't have time for that!"

They barely made it. The explosion sent a shockwave through the air, and everyone went flying into the banks of the small lagoon outside the cave. Riyo's head hit a stone, and she blacked out, darkness swallowing her.

Everything was blurry. Riyo blinked as she tried to focus her vision a little more. Sound was muted. She could still hear the insects, but the individual calls were now just a blur of sound. Not music. Just sound. Colours were similarly blended. They swam before her, slowly coming into focus. With shaking arms, she pulled herself up to a kneeling position. Her head turned, looking around at the scenes.

The cave they had just escaped from was no more. The explosion had demolished it. Instead, a pile of rocks stood where it had been. The formerly curtain-like waterfall had changed paths, now becoming a thousand smaller, calmer rivers that snaked between the uneven pile. At least the water still made it to the river.

Her head turned farther, and she spotted Luuna. The injured handmaiden was lying a motionless as a dead woman near the edge of the riverbank. Beside her, Miriam and Mark were limp. The stretcher that had housed Luuna was now a bent and unrecognisable shape, a twisted monstrosity.

Telle was draped heavily over Stass' shoulder, the lieutenant's arm bent at a strange angle. They stared at the cave, talking quietly between themselves. But they hadn't noticed what Riyo saw next. Trav-iss Torn. His body was on the far side of the cove, motionless like all the others. Except that it wasn't like the others.

She hurried towards the Senator. Agatha was sprawled already beside him, but her aged back rose and fell with each ragged breath she was taking. Riyo skidded beside her and nearly threw up. The man's neck was bent so sharply upwards that he was looking straight up, staring fixedly at the night sky above.

A gasp came from behind her as both Telle and Stass noticed the broken body of the Senator. The Jedi knelt beside him, and placed two fingers on his pulse. Her voice was a whisper as she told them, "I'm not getting anything. He must have slammed into the rocks hard enough to break his neck. A horrible death, but quick and relatively painless. I'm sorry, Riyo."

Riyo closed her eyes and felt a tear slide down her neck. Trav-iss may not have been a perfect man. He had been greedy, prideful and focussed on his own gain. But he cared for Pantora, and would fight for his people no matter what. Whoever took over his position may not care quite so much. And that was a scary thought. What would Pantora be without Trav-iss' address to the Senate? She knelt on the ground beside the corpse of her boss and gently closed his eyes. With Trav-iss' death, everything would change.