Chapter XXVI A Tale of Two Siths (Jaren Perspective)
Earlier that day
It seemed amazing how different Nar Shaddaa could look and feel, considering it's basically a planetary city. Days ago, I was surrounded by the elegantly extravagant architecture of the diplomatic sector while rubbing elbows with elites and quarreling with my father. That was a stark contrast to where Kira and I sat today in our rented landspeeder along a dingy street in the Thirty Mid-lat Red-Light Sector. Several levels lower in elevation, and several tiers lower in affluence, the streets and buildings were run down and stark looking. There was no sign of decor or vegetation; practicality and functionality ruled the style around me. No one visited the red-light district for its ambiance, especially not this one. I wasn't there for the ambiance either, though I had to admit that checking out some of the establishments was tempting. We were on a mission and I needed to stay focused. This was just one of many hundreds of red-light districts on Nar Shaddaa, and likely not close to the best, but this one was near the Republic Sector and contained the hidden Power Guard lab.
Kira and I had spent most of the morning driving around recording sensor readings related to power usage. The recruiter we saved from the Imps at the Power Guard recruitment facility told us that the secret lab had its own power source, and Chief Rieekan seemed confident that he could pinpoint its location from our readings. So, after completing the scans, we sat and waited for word from the chief. The waiting was growing tiresome, and I was bored. I glanced over at Kira, who was listening to music through her earbuds and flipping through her com pad. We had actually gotten along fairly well so far today which felt like a change. Granted, we weren't doing anything intense like sparring or trying to meditate together, but she hadn't sniped at me about any of her pet peeves all morning, and sitting next to her hadn't felt like torture. I wondered if the change had something to do with her report to the council and Master Din's response. Maybe she felt her duty was done by getting me written up, but I didn't care, as long as the outcome made the fighting between us stop.
I pulled out my datapad to check messages, hoping that the agents had pinpointed our target and we could get on with things. Unfortunately, I had no new messages, but I did notice an old message from Master Ocera with the files about his padawan and decided to read them while I had time. The first page included several pictures of the padawan, who was named Ashara Zavros. She was a Togruta, and not bad looking, though I felt Belle Kiwiiks was a more attractive representative of the species. Ashara was just about to take her trials, something Kira was ready for and I had completed about six months ago. The report stated that she was headstrong and had some concerning opinions about the supernatural, but the general recommendation was to move her forward. As I read further, the concern about supernatural opinions appeared to center around a dark side energy that was observed in some ruins outside the enclave and the padawan believing that it was her ancestor's ghost. There was a link in the report, and I clicked on it to open a second file related to the padawan's ancestor. Kalatosh Zavros served the Republic as a Jedi several hundred years ago but was seduced to the dark side by Darth Revan during the Mandalorian Wars. He was thought to have died on Taris when Darth Malak betrayed Revan and bombarded the planet out of thoughtless rage.
The Mandalorian Wars was a difficult time for the Jedi Order and not unlike the times we lived in now. The Jedi were split between those who wanted to find peaceful options to conflict and those who were convinced that only war would solve the issue. Revan hated the inaction of the Jedi in the face of galactic suffering at the hands of the vicious Mandalorians and went out on his own to counter the threat. It led him, and those who followed, to the dark side and corruption. The same split appeared to exist today in the Jedi Order, with some advocating peaceful negotiations with the Empire and others warning that only violence would quell the Sith. I needed to heed the warning in Revan's story because I was solidly in the camp of fighting violence with violence. If that mindset had led others to corruption, then I needed to be wary of falling into the same trap.
"What's got you so absorbed over there?" Kira asked.
I looked over at her from my tablet. "I was just reading about the padawan who was taken from the enclave." Kira's face shifted to a frown. "She had an ancestor that died on Taris a few hundred years ago, seemingly on the spot where the Jedi enclave was built. Isn't that weird?"
"I suppose," she shrugged.
"The report says that Ashara, the padawan, felt she was being contacted by her ancestor, that he appeared to her as some sort of apparition."
"Sounds like she's crazy," Kira mumbled as she went back to looking at her com pad.
"Aren't you even a little curious? I mean it seems like more than coincidence that she ended up within meters of where her ancestor perished."
"We've got plenty of problems to worry about in the real world without considering the supernatural. Besides, I'm more curious about your interest in this padawan and the Sith who kidnapped her."
"Why shouldn't I be concerned? She killed soldiers under my command and came a hair's breadth away from killing you."
"Don't be dramatic," Kira grumbled as she shot me a sideways glance. "The padawan's got a whole enclave of Jedi trying to help her, and we've got our own mission to worry about."
I decided to avoid a reply, sensing that we were heading toward one of our typical head-butts, and went back to reading the rest of the report. The padawan was given a preliminary review based on her concerns about the ghost sightings, and notes indicated that there were concerns about her mental stability. Several other personnel at the enclave, most notably Master Ocera, had seen supernatural events or sensed dark side energy in the ruins next to the facility, and there was a concern that the issue was affecting the productivity of the enclave. Master Drya had been sent by the council to perform a general assessment of the enclave in light of Imperial activity on the planet, but also to evaluate the issue of the dark side essence influencing students. The kidnapping occurred before any further evaluation of the padawan could be performed.
The ruins had been cordoned off and the enclave staff and students were instructed to avoid it, especially the padawan. Despite these precautions, the padawan had been discovered deep in the ruins with the Sith by Master Ryen where he was attacked and incapacitated. The formal report ended there, but the details led the reader to ask several unwritten questions. How did the Sith get to the padawan? Why were they in the ruins where the dark side signature existed? And why did the Sith take the padawan instead of just leaving her behind? The most confusing question to me was the first one. There was no indication that the Sith breached the enclave building, so how did she make contact with the padawan? The dark side aura seemed to be a key to the Sith's intentions. Somehow, she had found the one person in the enclave that had the most contact with the dark side aura, and then, with the help of the padawan, went to its exact location before being discovered.
I flicked open my calendar on the com pad. The meeting to drop off the padawan's things was scheduled for the afternoon. If things didn't progress quickly, my mission here would get in the way of that, which I didn't want to happen. It felt like destiny that I would be on Nar Shaddaa at the same time as the Sith woman, and I felt that my chance at a rematch was drawing near. A loud stomach growl pulled me out of my musing.
It was loud enough for Kira to notice and look over with a frown. "Do you need a snack?" she teased. "You can have one of my candy bars."
"Very funny," I scowled at her. She knew full well I wouldn't eat one of her junk food snacks. It took a lot of work to keep my body toned and healthy, and I watched closely what kind of fuel I fed it. Kira had a bit of a sweet tooth and didn't seem to care what kind of food she consumed. "What the hell is taking them so long," I complained as I stretched out and looked around at the sad buildings nearby; gaudy flashing lights and images of scantily clad girls were the only embellishments.
"They know we're waiting; I can't imagine it will take much longer," Kira replied.
"It's taken too long already," I groused.
"Are you getting hangry?"
"Of course I am," I snapped. "Besides that, this mission is annoying. Snooping around and data collection isn't my forte."
"Why don't you find something to eat?"
"Around here? Forget it. I've got no faith that any of the restaurants are safe let alone healthy."
"Okay, food snob," she chuckled. "Though I get your point. That public bathroom I had to use earlier was nasty."
"For having been sent to Nar Shaddaa on leave, I don't feel very relaxed and rested."
"It hasn't been super restful for me either," Kira replied.
"Oh?" I wondered out loud. "You've been disappearing a lot the last few days. What's that about?"
She gave me an unsure glance. "I've got some friends on Nar Shaddaa. I thought it would be nice to check up on them."
"Master Kiwiiks discovered you here, didn't she?"
"She did," Kira answered guardedly. "I was in a pretty rough place, living day to day, and really didn't have a lot of options until she found me. There were a few people that helped keep me out of real trouble before Master Kiwiiks arrived, and I wanted to check on them and see if there was anything I could do to help."
"Were they okay? Is there anything I can do?"
"You wanna help?" Kira asked skeptically.
"Sure, why not?"
"I figured you weren't the volunteering type."
"I can be compassionate," I replied defensively. "It's one of the reasons why I wanted to become a Jedi. At least it's better than being a politician and sucking off the public."
"Speaking of politicians, how's it going with your dad?" Kira asked, deftly changing the subject away from herself. "You seemed pretty annoyed with him the other day."
"He's still griping about my choice to be a Jedi. We're never going to agree on things, and every time we're together he just keeps working me over about it."
"He wants you to follow in his footsteps."
"Yeah, that's not going to happen. As if you haven't noticed, I'm not very good at diplomacy."
"You have your moments, but I would agree that it's not your strong suit. Isn't he proud of having a Force-sensitive son?"
"Are you kidding?" I grumbled, "it's more of an irritation to him. Have you ever tried to explain Force sensitivity to a normie?"
"Some people seem to understand - maybe even appreciate it."
"Not my father."
"What does your mother think?"
I looked over at Kira, a little surprised by the question. She actually seemed interested, which felt like another change from our usual connection. "I don't know my mother very well. Fathers raise their sons in Iridonian culture; daughters are raised by their mothers. Of course, raised is a loose term, especially for men. Most children are raised by nanny-bots or au pairs. I've not seen my mother more than five or six times since childhood."
"I didn't know that," Kira replied thoughtfully. "Did your mother and father not marry?"
"Marriage isn't really a thing with my people. After industrialization and connecting to the galactic marketplace, things have been so peaceful and prosperous on Iridonia that females didn't need to connect to males for safety, so marriage fell out of favor."
"How do you keep the population up? What about loneliness?"
"Most Iridonians want to carry on their family names, so at one point, they have a child or two. Artificial incubation makes that fairly easy."
"Were you an artificial baby?"
"No, actually, my mother birthed me. That isn't very common anymore, especially for a female to carry a son. I was her firstborn, and she said that she wanted to carry me. As for not selecting the sex, her answer was a little more vague. It seemed to me that she was in love with my father and wanted his child. There wasn't much planning beyond that."
"Do you think your father loved her?"
That was a difficult question, and I gave her a thoughtful look. "Probably not the way you mean it. He's still on good terms with her, and he loves her for giving him me and my brother, but they are not sharing a life together."
"I didn't know you have a brother."
"He's younger than me and just started university - way smarter and much more like my dad. I've got two half-sisters as well, but I don't know them at all."
"None of them are Force-sensitive?"
"Nope, I'm the lucky one, or unlucky if you ask my father."
"It just seems strange for a woman to not be close to her children," Kira replied with a frown, "I don't know if I could do that."
"My mother raised me for almost two years before she started her career, and she's very close with my half-sisters, but most females don't give up their careers to raise children, not when they have other options for that. My father has really tried to stay close to me, despite our differences, which is why my decision to join the Jedi bothers him so much. It feels like a betrayal to him."
"That sounds pretty tough, especially because you were close."
"We started drifting apart when I left for university, you know how it is with coming of age, children try to spread their wings and be independent. It was quite a shock when I left university for Tython, I've got several close friends that are still bitter over it."
"Yeah," Kira sighed, "I actually don't know what that's like - the whole going to university and leaving your parents thing."
"You haven't talked much about yourself," I replied.
"You haven't asked," she answered.
We kind of stared each other down for a moment, and I was going to press the conversation, feeling like it would be good to know more about my padawan, but my com chimed and disrupted the moment. "What do you have for us, Chief?" I asked when Chief Rieekan's image appeared in the holo.
"We found the lab," he answered excitedly. "I'm sending you the coordinates and a basic layout of the building. Agent Diyaz looked it over and seems to think the best way to gain entrance is to go in through an exhaust shaft on the roof."
"Stay on the com," I insisted, "I want to get eyes on the building before we formulate a plan."
Kira pulled up the coordinates and loaded them into the vehicle guidance. The location was about four blocks away and we sped off toward it. While I was driving, Kira put the building layout on her holo and expanded it so we could see more detail.
"If I had to guess, I would expect a secret lab to be in the basement," I stated.
"That's just a guess," she yelled over the sound of the speeder, "it could be anywhere."
"We haven't had any luck pinpointing an energy signature in the building yet," Agent Diyaz commented.
"Well, we have to start looking somewhere," I replied while turning down another street.
"It's a pretty big building," Kira complained, "it will take hours to search the whole thing."
"Let's hope the Imps do something to give themselves away," I replied as I turned down the target street and slowed down. The smaller side street dead-ended into a dim, cluttered courtyard for several buildings; small enough that I got the sense it would be monitored. One of the buildings opposite our target was a gambling den, among other things, and it had a speeder garage which I turned into quickly. I found a parking spot and shut the landspeeder down.
"We pulled into a garage opposite the target," I announced to the SIS team.
"You don't expect me to go in there," Kira grumbled while pointing to the brightly lit entrance to the ill-reputed den.
"Relax, I just needed to get us out of the courtyard because I think it's being monitored."
"Okay," she sighed, "for a moment there I was worried you were overcome with desire from sitting in a red-light district so long."
"Very funny," I snapped. "What do you think is a good approach, Chief?" My first instinct was to charge in, but the building was large, and running up and down the halls on every floor swinging a lightsaber at anything that moved was pointless. I wanted to know what the professional spy thought.
"If the Imps are in there, then they will likely have sensors all over the building," the chief replied gruffly. He and Agent Diyaz proceeded to work through options to devise a plan. While I listened to the discussion, I got out and went to the trunk to pull out the SIS field case that the team had supplied us earlier that morning. We all agreed that it would be impossible to surprise the Imps without taking days to formulate a more involved infiltration of the building, so the chief opted for the direct approach. The plan was to take the recon droids that were in the case and program them to access the building through invasive means. The assumption was that if Imps were still in the building the invading droids would trigger their defenses and give away the location of the lab. As for our way in, there was a utility tunnel under the buildings, and I decided that was our best option. I still believed that the lab would be in the basement, or even if it wasn't, the Imp's escape plan would likely include fleeing the building through the tunnel, so when we approached from that direction, we would catch them anyway.
The droids were programmed and sent off to rouse the target building. At the same time, Kira and I made our way down into the tunnel through an access door on the lower level of the garage. We were making our way through the musty, dark tunnel when the droids started breaking windows or cutting locks to gain entry into the building. Resistance developed, showing that the Imps were still using the lab, and I hurried my pace to get to the basement and intercept them. Unfortunately, I was wrong about the lab. As the droids infiltrated from the four sides and the roof, it became apparent that the lab wasn't in the basement, but higher up in the building. Kira and I burst into the basement and found the largest room only to discover that it was for storage. Luckily, I was right about the escape plan, and Imps came out of a stairwell on their way to the utility tunnel. When they saw us, they opened fire and backtracked up the stairs. We gave chase and came out of the stairs into a hallway on the fourth floor. A soldier was standing guard in front of a doorway as the Imperial technicians scurried back toward him. He began firing his blaster rifle at us and I rushed toward him.
He ducked into the doorway as I approached, slamming it closed. Kira was right behind me as I sliced my saber through the door hinges and then Force pushed the metal door into the room. The heavy slab shot forward, contacting the soldier who just closed it, and sent them both sprawling across the floor. Blaster fire erupted from the lab toward us, and I hurried through the opening before ducking away from the heaviest fire. The room was large and well-lit, with a row of bacta-like tanks across one wall with many control panels and lab tables spread out in front of them. Toward the center of the room, there was a medical examination table with a large central control panel and holo terminal. There were at least four more soldiers and several lab technicians still in the room; all of them firing at us. Near the tanks, a technician and an officer were working frantically at some controls.
Kira and I both started deflecting blaster bolts back at the enemy, making them scatter and hesitate to fire. Luckily, they were disorganized and didn't concentrate their fire on one of us, which would have proved a real challenge. I rushed forward, hoping to stop the officer from completing whatever he was doing. The motion caused several others to turn and fire at the same time, one bolt barely missing my head as I twisted away from it. The soldier nearest me activated shielded bracers and pulled out a stun baton. Not wanting to waste time, I put my hand out and Force pushed him over a lab table into a lab tech. Kira moved forward toward the center of the room, trying to disarm the soldiers guarding the central computer.
At that moment, the officer turned toward us and started firing a stun pistol. The wide blast of the stun charge couldn't be blocked by a lightsaber, and I had to duck behind some equipment to avoid the shot. He pinned Kira down as well, and while we took turns moving forward when the officer focused his fire on the other, the technician finished what she was doing and three panels hissed open along the wall near the tanks to reveal Power Guards. The guards were large, muscular humanoids with armor and cybernetic helms. They had staff weapons on their backs and each held a powerful-looking rifle. I surveyed the room quickly as the Power Guards activated, realizing that things could get out of hand. The officer was firing at me again, forcing me to duck below a table to avoid the stun charge, and there were still several other soldiers firing blasters.
"Take out the remaining soldiers," I ordered Kira as I gathered the Force around me. When the officer turned his pistol on my padawan, I Force jumped over the table at him. He saw me coming and spun to shoot me, but my blade met him first. Right after, a concussion bolt struck the lab equipment to my right with an air burst that threw me backward. The Power Guards were equipped with concussion rifles, a weapon well suited to counter Jedi. Rolling to my feet, I saw all three of them focused on me. A second concussion bolt speared toward me, and I Force leapt out of its way toward the guards. Concussion rifles were a great weapon against Jedi, but not in close quarters. The third guard tried to fire his rifle at me and I Force pushed the barrel away as the gun went off. The errant bolt clipped another guard, causing him to spin to the floor, before slamming into one of the tanks along the wall. The plasti-glass broke and gooey liquid spilled everywhere.
I tried to engage the guards at close range, but the floor had turned as slippery as ice, and movement became difficult. Another concussion bolt was fired at close range, and I barely shifted away from it as it surged past. Then, the two standing Power Guards switched to their staff weapons and activated shields on their armor. The shielded armor was going to be a real problem, and I acted quickly to take out the downed guard first because he hadn't activated his yet. He was trying to recover but was drenched in liquid. When he saw me shifting toward him, he brought his rifle up to shoot me, but I speared him through the forehead with my lightsaber before his slimy fingers could pull the trigger. One down, two to go. With a little distance between us, one of the remaining guards tried to switch back to his concussion rifle to shoot me, but as he took aim Kira moved up behind him. Reacting to her threat, he spun to shoot her, but she sliced the end of his rifle off.
Things devolved into a slippery, close-quarters brawl. Our lightsabers should have given us an advantage, but the shielded armor and staff weapons made it near impossible to injure the guards. They faced off against each of us one-on-one, and Kira was driven back by the wide angry swings of her opponent. I kept close to my enemy, trying to use my sense in the Force to outmaneuver him. The Power Guard enhancements must have heightened their reflexes because my opponent fought toe-to-toe with me, at one point catching my shoulder with his staff to send me reeling. I glanced over at Kira to see her retreating awkwardly. We needed to find a way past the shielded armor if we were to have any chance.
"Use Force push and pull to try to get him off balance," I urged. Focusing on my opponent's feet, I Force pulled his boots toward me. With the slippery liquid covering the floor, the guard's legs came forward and he crashed onto his back. Quickly, I Force pulled a rack of equipment near his fallen form, making it smash down on him. The rack wasn't heavy enough to injure him, but I was hoping that it would short-circuit or at least wear down the shield charge on his armor. I moved in to slash at him with my lightsaber, but he deftly kept me at bay with his staff while he tried to right himself.
"Chief," I said into the com, "give me an idea how to deal with the shields on their armor."
"Overload them," he answered, "or maybe short-circuit them."
"How," I grumbled as the guard managed to push the fallen rack off of him and get to his knees. I moved in and began fencing with his staff, getting a few slashes in against his shoulder and chest before being driven back. The shields held.
"An electrical discharge would work," Agent Tandor blurted out.
I looked around and noticed a power drop feeding one of the control panels near the tanks. Using Force pull, I wrenched the cable tray off the ceiling, making the cables dangle down. With a slice of my blade, I cut the cables in half, noticing which end was still sparking with power. It was a long shot, but maybe the liquid in the tank was conductive. I grabbed one of the charged cables, yanked it down enough to hit the floor, and Force jumped out of the pool before it hit. My opponent was trying to shift back to his concussion rifle when he realized my plan. In a panic, he attempted to roll out of the liquid but didn't make it. The cable hit the floor with a burst of sparks, and everything touched by the liquid suddenly flickered and sparkled with energy.
My opponent flinched and shuddered as the lights in the lab dimmed. A circuit breaker must have tripped somewhere because the lights went back to normal and the sparking stopped. The Power Guard was stunned but not dead. Luckily, his shielded armor was overloaded. Not waiting to see if it could reset, I Force leapt on top of him, slashing and stabbing harshly. He blocked most of my blows with his electrostaff, which hadn't been deactivated by the power surge, but finally, I managed to stab his shoulder and cut his hand off at the wrist. Defenseless, he succumbed to my blade. Kira was in a standoff with the final Power Guard. She couldn't get through his shields, but he couldn't get close enough to strike her down. I Force leapt right at him, bringing my saber down on his staff with a burst of sparks.
"Move in and slash at him," I told Kira, "together our blades should drain his shields and we can end this."
The Power Guard seemed to think I was the more dangerous opponent and focused on me, which gave Kira the chance to slash at him with her double-bladed lightsaber. It took more time than I thought, but eventually, his shielded plates and the staff weapon began to flicker as their energy waned. Finally, one of Kira's slashes went through the thigh armor, taking off a leg just above the knee. Not long after that, the battle was over. My first thought was to check on Kira, who looked back at me with wide eyes and a blank face. She had managed to avoid the spilled liquid and didn't appear to be injured. When my eyes scanned the room, they fell on the lab tech who had activated the Power Guards. She was standing next to the holo-terminal, which was active and displaying the image of a masked figure watching us.
Taking a deep breath and shaking off the stiffness from post-adrenaline rush, I stepped toward the holo-terminal. "Surrender," I told the technician.
"There's no need for that," the masked figure stated flatly, "Zynna has done her final duty." As the masked man finished speaking, a hypo-syringe fell from the technician's hand. I rushed forward to catch the woman before her body hit the floor, but she was already convulsing with her eyes rolled back. Picking her up, I moved to a lab table and laid her dying body down. As I did, the control panels and equipment in the room began to spark and smoke.
"She activated the destruct protocols before injecting herself," the masked figure continued. "You'll get nothing useful from what's left of the lab."
The lights flickered as more power was sent into the equipment to destroy data and fry circuits. "You must be Lord Sadic," I stated bitterly.
"I see my reputation has proceeded me," he replied, "and you would be Jedi Knight Dwar. Darth Angral has put a very high price on your head. It will be a pleasure to collect it."
"Tell me where you are and we can cut out all the middlemen?"
"All in due time, Jedi. My Mark One Power Guards did well enough, and the data on this fight will prove useful for the next generation. You're too late to stop me. Soon, thousands of Power Guards will begin swarming across Nar Shaddaa."
"We'll see about that."
"You will see, soon enough. My next generation will be too much for even a Jedi to handle."
I slashed the holo-terminal, making the hologram disappear. "That was a pointless conversation," I mumbled. "Chief, are you there?"
"We're still here," he confirmed.
"Any way you could trace that transmission?"
"Probably not. I've notified Republic security, and they're sending a team to lock down the area."
"We're not going to get anything out of all this fried equipment."
"You'd be surprised," he answered, "there'll likely be some useful information there somewhere. I'll send Agents Tandor and Diyaz to comb through it and let you know what we come up with."
I looked at my com and saw that it was after noon local time. "I need to meet with some Jedi about another Sith Lord in a few hours. I'll catch up with you after that."
"Sounds good." The chief answered. I cut the com with SIS and looked around the ruined lab again.
"That's it?" Kira said in a bit of surprise. "We're just going to leave this mess, and you're going off to chase your nemesis?"
"What do you want me to do?" I replied in frustration. "Do you know how to glean through this mess for intel? Can you decode Imp data? I can't. Chief said the calvary is on its way; let them do their jobs." To me, there was nothing left to discuss, so I stepped past her and headed to the exit. By the time we collected the speeder and pulled out of the garage, Republic security was on-site. After a brief discussion with the commander of the team, we left the red-light sector and headed back to the Defiant.
When we arrived back at the ship, I was heading to my room to shower when B'Zeya noticed Kira and me walking up the ramp.
"Hey," she called, walking after me as I turned down the small hallway toward my quarters. "You've been gone a long time."
"Yeah," I agreed as the door to my room swished open and I stepped inside.
B'Zeya followed me, stopping just inside the doorway. "Were you on assignment? You've got stains all over your clothes."
I looked down to notice the mess on my shirt and pants; a combination of sweat, blood, and tank goo. "We raided a Republic lab that was taken over by Imps . . . it ended up in a pretty tough fight." I unclipped my utility belt and set it and my com tablet on the dresser, noticing that splashes of the slimy liquid were smeared on everything.
"Oh," B'Zeya gave me a worried look. "Are you all right? You didn't say anything about going into danger."
"We weren't sure that we would find the lab. It took till noon to track it down with sensors." I started unbuttoning my shirt. "What did you guys have for lunch? I'm starving."
"I just nibbled some leftovers. Do you want me to see if Cenny can cook you something?"
"Nah," I sighed, "I've gotta clean up right now. I'll scrounge for something in a bit."
"Okay," B'Zeya answered. She seemed to be hesitating - as if wanting to say something.
"Well, I'm gonna jump in the shower," I turned and walked into the bathroom. By the way B'Zeya was looking at me, it seemed like she was going to follow, but she didn't. It kind of bummed me out to sense an awkwardness between us, and I thought about the things Cen'Zeya told me yesterday. It seemed wrong to ruin someone's romantic feelings for me, but I understood the motive. Forming an attachment right now would be a disaster with the council reviewing my behavior and Kira watching me like a hawk. Besides that, I didn't know my feelings and wasn't sure that I was interested in or could handle a romantic relationship at the moment.
After cleaning myself up, I put on a fresh pair of clothes and gathered my slimy things for C2-N2 to clean. Then I wandered into the holo-room looking for something to eat. The twins were sitting in their nook and Cen'Zeya got up when she saw me, walking into the adjoining storage area as I approached the table.
"Cenny cooked you something," B'Zeya said with a smile, "sit down," she added while shifting over to make room.
"She didn't have to do that," I replied, looking toward the makeshift kitchen before sitting down.
B'Zeya put her hand on my arm and leaned against me. "You said you were hungry, so we're taking care of you."
"Thank you." I pulled out my com pad and looked at my feeds. Master Ocera had messaged me earlier about picking me up, and I took a moment to answer him.
"What's up?" B'Zeya asked, trying to read over my shoulder.
"Do you remember the Sith I fought on Taris a week ago?" Cen'Zeya walked up while I was talking and set plates down in front of me. She had made my favorite dish, thick noodles in a gravy sauce with meat and a slice of bread. I looked at her as she slid into the seat opposite me. "Thanks," I said. "You two aren't eating?"
"We ate earlier," Cen'Zeya replied. "What were you saying about the Sith?"
"She's here on Nar Shaddaa, and she is forcing the Jedi enclave to bring the padawan's personal items here. A master from the enclave wants my help in dealing with her."
"The padawan?" B'Zeya asked.
"Yeah, the Sith kidnapped a padawan and has been holding her for some reason. We're going to try to rescue her. The drop is supposed to take place in a few hours."
"That sounds dangerous," B'Zeya replied, sounding a little worried.
I looked over at her, noticing her big green eyes. "It shouldn't be a problem, there will be three Jedi and a padawan to confront her." I started eating, and the food tasted especially good because I was hungry. "I feel awkward eating by myself," I mumbled between bites. "It tastes really good," I added. Cen'Zeya gave me a tight grin from across the table.
"I don't like this Sith woman," B'Zeya stated, "she really upset you on Taris."
"She's a monster who killed and wounded a lot of soldiers and made me look like a fool. Today I get my revenge."
"Be careful," B'Zeya said softly as she leaned her head on my arm.
I finished my lunch and then went back to my room to meditate and prepare for what was to come. My hunger was satisfied, but I couldn't help thinking that things were awkward around the twins. B'Zeya seemed clingy, and it was hard for me to not see her feelings after her sister mentioned them. Cen'Zeya didn't talk much and kept giving me appraising looks from across the table. I had to push those thoughts out of my head so that I could focus and tried sitting cross-legged on the floor with my eyes closed to meditate in the Force more diligently.
Master Ocera notified me that they were inbound. He wanted us to fly to the drop location as a team, so he offered to pick us up in their Jedi transport. I had messaged Kira to let her know I was leaving, and she wanted to come with me. It seemed odd because I knew she disagreed with me being involved, but she said we should stay together. I put on my standard Jedi outfit, forgoing the cloak which I wasn't fond of. C2-N2 had to prioritize cleaning my boots and utility belt from the battle earlier, and I completed dressing by slipping them on and clipping my saber to my belt.
Kira was standing by the ramp when I exited my room. "Look at you," she chirped, "dressed like a Jedi."
"Everyone else will be, so I thought I'd fit in." I tried to dress like a normal person most of the time, not wanting to draw attention or create issues by declaring my Jedi-ness. We walked down the ramp and exited the Defiant to stand on the docking platform.
There was a bit of a wind that whipped Kira's cloak about. "Have you heard anything from SIS about the lab?" she asked.
"No," I answered while looking up at the descending transport.
"Doesn't that seem odd?"
"I don't know, they had a lot to clean up and sort through." I checked my com as the Jedi transport settled onto the platform. The drop time was close and we would be pressed to make it in time. Kira and I walked over to the lowering ramp and I stepped on it before it hit the deck and began to climb aboard. Master Ocera and another Jedi were standing in the main cabin and nodded at me when I entered. The pilot and copilot got a signal from Master Ocera and the ramp started to close. I settled into a seat and looked across at the master his companion as Kira sat next to me.
"Glad to meet you in person," Master Ocera stated, "this is Dremer Akkon. He is a new Jedi Knight and an assistant at the enclave." The second Jedi nodded at us.
"It's nice to meet you," I replied. "I'm Jedi Dwar and this is my padawan Kira Carson."
"Hey," Kira added with a sharp wave.
"Master Ryen contacted Republic security on Nar Shaddaa and had them send a team ahead to scope out the drop location." While he talked, Master Ocera opened his com and produced a hologram of the mall where the locker was located. "Security has a team monitoring all the entrances and interior levels. There has been no unexpected activity so far."
"It's nice to have extra eyes," I commented, "but I hope they've been told not to interfere. This situation needs to be handled by us."
"I feel the same," the master nodded, "though I'm doubtful that the Sith is going to show."
"She's here," I countered, "I can sense it." Kira sat quietly, but I could tell that she wasn't in agreement with me.
"If she is, I want us to be clear that the safety of the padawan is our primary objective. I understand you had a run-in with the Sith before and may want to engage her, but Ashara comes first."
I nodded slowly, not completely in agreement with the master's decision. He didn't know what I knew, that the Sith would use any means to her advantage, including the padawan or even bystanders if necessary.
"The drop is in the middle of a public space, so any kind of confrontation is going to be complicated," he continued.
"That's why she picked it," I mumbled. "She used the Republic soldiers on Taris as pawns, cutting half of them down indiscriminately to show her lack of concern for sentient life. This monster is evil . . . your padawan is in grave danger."
"Let's try to stay positive," Kira interjected, eying me as if to say calm down.
"Maybe our best plan is to let the drop happen, if what you say is true. Republic Security has placed some trackers in Ashara's things. We can use them to locate Ashara and rescue her at a more opportune time."
"If the padawan is there, I say we take on the Sith and complete the rescue immediately. There's no guarantee that you will get a better chance."
"It seems unlikely that she would bring Ashara to the drop," Master Ocera said with a shake of his head. "The Sith has to assume that we will come in force."
"Leaving Ashara somewhere else is a risk as well, and she could use the padawan as a shield."
"I wasn't considering that outcome." Master Ocera paused to look at the layout of the drop zone. "If that is the case, then I agree with you, we should try to rescue Ashara directly."
I was growing anxious thinking about confronting the Sith again. The Force felt thick around me. "If we do attack her, you must be prepared. She will fight violently and erratically and will attack anyone to get an advantage, including the padawan. This Lord Kallig is adept at using Force powers, especially lightning, and her Force aura is chaotic and unpredictable, which made her difficult to fight despite her lack of saber skills. She used a very indirect tactic, attacking my padawan and the soldiers to put me on the defensive."
"Someone will have to move to Ashara's defense quickly then." Master Ocera's eyes had grown concerned.
"If you will do that, I will attack the Sith. I know her methods now; she will not thwart me a second time."
"Let's focus on separating her from the padawan," Kira stated calmly. "The middle of a public mall is no place to duel a Sith to the death."
The ship began banking, and I looked out the window to see that we were dropping toward the cityscape below and would be landing soon. I reached out in the Force to see if I could sense the Sith. There was turbulence there, but I wasn't sure if it was the emotions surrounding me from the other Jedi and myself or something more. The fight earlier in the Power Guard lab had tuned me up, and I felt ready for her. The eagerness to redeem myself made my muscles tense with energy. The ship landed and we debarked, heading quickly toward the drop location. Jedi Akkon carried Ashara's things in a travel box, and Master Ocera contacted the security team to see if they had noticed anything. There was no sign of the Sith or Ashara yet.
It didn't take long for us to reach the center of the mall where a public assistance office sat behind a cascading fountain. Behind the offices, there was a walled-off area of lockers where the drop was to occur. The mall wasn't crowded, but there were enough people to cause difficulties if violence broke out.
Master Ocera looked at his com. "We've got five minutes before the designated time." He scanned the mall around us before his eyes landed on me. "Maybe the four of us waiting here will alarm the Sith. Why don't you two and Dremer move over to the area of the fountain and wait? I'll call you over the com when I need you."
I didn't like the idea of splitting up but respected his wishes and walked away from the lockers. Growing more agitated as the moment approached, I paced around the fountain while Kira talked softly with Dremer. My biggest concern was that the Sith would try to twist the fight around on me again. I couldn't let her do that - couldn't stand to see the same thing happen again. Time seemed to slow, and the minutes passed.
Everyone's coms were open, and I heard Master Ocera ask the security team if they saw any sign of Ashara. "No sign," came the response, "everything looks normal."
It didn't seem possible. The drop time was only moments away. She would have to be in the mall. I reached out in the Force and felt the tense currents, but no Sith close by. My gut twisted. What was happening?
"I believe you can join me, now," Master Ocera said calmly.
"What is it?" I asked, moving quickly back toward him.
"A droid is trying to open the locker," Master Ocera replied.
A droid! my mind screamed. Rounding the corner, I saw the Jedi master standing in the same place I left him, and five or six lockers away stood a silver droid, his metallic arm holding open one of the locker doors. My eyes roamed around the perimeter of the mall, not wanting to believe what my gut was sensing.
Master Ocera stepped over to the droid. "Are you looking for something?"
The machine's triangular head turned so that its red lenses could observe us. "I'm sorry," it toned, "I do not have authorization to interact with you."
"I'm asking because you opened my locker." Master Ocera pointed to the number on the locker door.
The droid's electronic eyes seemed to refocus on us. "Your locker? I'm sorry for the mistake." The metallic hand released the locker door and it swung slowly back into place. The droid then retreated several paces and stood idle.
Master Ocera scanned the mall around us for a moment and then looked at me before stepping closer to the droid. "Were you instructed to pick up an item inside that locker?" he asked, pointing to the locker again.
"I'm sorry," the droid responded, "I'm not at liberty to discuss my programming."
"We were instructed to place a package in that locker. I think it was for you."
The droid observed us for a moment, I could almost see its processor grinding. "Why have you not completed your instructions?" it asked.
"We don't want to," Master Ocera replied, "we would prefer to have our friend back. Her name is Ashara, do you know her?"
"I am not authorized to interact with you," the droid responded.
"What will you do if you can't complete your programming?"
The droid seemed to scan us again, its camera eyes moving across each of us. "I observe that you are carrying lightsabers. Are you Jedi?"
"We are," Master Ocera replied calmly.
"You have not provided the item that I am to pick up. Are you unwilling to comply?"
"We are unwilling. What will you do?"
"I will need further instruction," the droid toned.
"Is your master not here?"
"I am not authorized to provide that information."
"How will you collect further instructions?"
"I must contact my master."
"Then I suggest you do so." Master Ocera looked over at me with a blank expression, but I sensed his thought. The Sith wasn't here - she sent the droid instead. How could I have been wrong? I sensed her. It seemed like a second battle with her was imminent. The droid activated its com and after a moment the holo illuminated her face; Lord Kallig.
"Master," the droid spoke, "I cannot perform the task you gave me. There are no items in the storage locker, and I have been detained by numerous Jedi."
"Let me speak to them," the Sith replied. The droid held up his metal arm so that the holo-com was pointed toward Master Ocera. Lord Kallig's dark eyes glanced at us before speaking. "You didn't expect me to show up with Ashara in person to collect her things, did you?"
Her words were confirmation. She wasn't here. I took a step toward the holo, the anticipation within me souring to anger. A challenge rose to my lips but Master Ocera spoke first.
"I am Master Ocera, Ashara is my padawan. Please, help me settle this without conflict."
His words angered me further. There was no point in negotiating with the Sith.
"Easy Jaren," Kira whispered, sensing my frustration.
"There's nothing to settle, Jedi. My droid is harmless. You can take or destroy it, but that won't help your padawan. Or, you could give my droid the padawan's things, and she will be better for it."
"At least take a moment to negotiate with me," the master continued. "There must be some explanation for your actions."
"I need not explain anything to you."
"Ashara's young and inexperienced," Master Ocera added. "If it is about the ghost, I might be of greater use to you."
"I'm through talking. Let my droid perform its task or not, I don't care." She looked ready to cut the com. Just like that, my opportunity would be lost.
"This isn't over, Sith!" I blurted out, taking another step forward and raising my hand to the hologram. "We will find you and rescue Ashara."
"I know you, Jedi," She stated, her voice almost a hiss.
"And I you, Lord Kallig," I answered. "Yes, I know your name, and I know you're on Nar Shaddaa, I can feel it. You can't hide from me."
"Believe what you want, Jaren," she spat my first name back at me derisively, "but we are not on Nar Shaddaa, and the droid is programmed to return to the Imperial Sector, where it will enter a highly secured area and have all of the items scanned for tracking devices. Attempting to follow the droid to our location will be a dangerous and fruitless exercise."
With that, she cut the com and was gone. The three of us stood looking at each other, and I struggled to understand how I got the moment so wrong. It seemed like the Force was guiding me to a confrontation with the Sith, yet I was left looking like a fool again.
"Will you wait here a moment," I heard Master Ocera ask the droid.
"I will," the droid confirmed.
Master Ocera motioned for us to follow him, and he stepped back to where Ashara's box rested on the floor. We came together in a huddle. "I'm inclined to proceed with the drop," he said softly.
I looked over at the droid. "It's got her location in its processor. We should take it and hand it over to Republic Security."
"It might put Ashara in more danger," Master Ocera countered.
"She's already in danger," I urged, "we need to collect the information from the droid and get to her as soon as possible. There's no telling how much information we can get from it."
"There's also a chance that it has safety protocols to wipe its memory or even self-destruct if we apprehend it. I don't want to take that chance. The Sith will consider taking her droid as an act of aggression. She may take that out on Ashara. Our best chance now is to let her have the box and hope that security can track the droid to Ashara's location."
"I think that's a mistake," I replied. "It gives the Sith too much control."
"What do you think?" Master Ocera asked Jedi Akkon.
The younger Jedi looked between us before answering. "I agree with you, Master. We should be cautious and give the droid the box."
I shook my head in frustration, but Master Ocera had made up his mind and turned to approach the droid again. Jedi Akkon picked up the box and walked after him. They handed over Ashara's things, and the droid turned and walked away.
"Security," Master Ocera asked into the com, "are you tracking the droid?"
"We are," came the response, "visually and via the tracking devices."
"Thank you," he answered. The droid had disappeared into the crowd. "I suppose there's no point in staying at this location," the master sighed. "Let's head back to the ship." As we walked back through the mall to the landing platform, I slowed my pace and tried to calm myself of all of the frustration and anger I felt.
"Relax, Jaren," Kira replied calmly. She could sense my tension.
"I was wrong," I grumbled.
"Everyone makes mistakes," she added, "they'll track the droid and find her."
"I'm not so certain. The Sith has made a fool of me twice now."
"It's not personal, she fooled everyone else too."
"That doesn't help," I growled, shooting her an angry glance. "We need to go after the droid, it's our only chance."
"Hey," Kira said as she put a hand out to touch my arm. "Let the padawan's master handle this, he's got more invested than you - besides, aren't you the one that keeps telling me to let others do their jobs?"
I looked up ahead at Master Ocera walking toward the Jedi transport. He looked concerned and I didn't want to make him feel worse. Despite my inclination to get involved, I boarded the ship and sat down quietly.
Everything turned into a disaster after that. The security team kept assuring us that they wouldn't lose the droid and its transport, but one miss after another led to the outcome I feared. First, the droid did indeed fly to the Imperial Sector, preventing us from following. Republic Security responded that they had contacts in the Imperial base and that they could keep eyes on the droid. They did that successfully, but the electronic tracking devices went dark. The Imperial base had electromagnetic disruptors shielding their buildings which blocked transmissions. The droid was inside the main security building for some time, and Master Ocera decided to take us back to the Defiant. As the transport completed its sub-orbital burn to bring us back to the Republic Sector, the rest of the tale unfolded.
The droid headed back to its ship and took off, but the trackers weren't responding. Then, the ship went into space and docked at a low-orbit transfer terminal. The docking bay the ship entered was restricted, and Republic Security couldn't follow it. A massive shell game of docking and departing ships occurred, and the droid could have been on any one of them. After a half hour of complaining and trying to scan departing ships, it became obvious that we had lost contact. The Jedi transport landed on our platform as we listened to the final frustrating conversations about what to do next. Master Ocera looked forlorn and I felt for him. I had engaged two Sith Lords on the same day, both of whom taunted and troubled me. Getting up slowly, I nodded to the Jedi master and left his ship. If there was ever a time I needed to punch out my frustrations on the heavy bag, it was then.