Chapter 29
Pantora - Fortress
The landing pad was nestled between the Kao Cen Darach Academy and the Police Plaza, situated in the northern districts of Fortress, one of the few areas that hadn't been affected by the crashing Republic ships. It was surrounded by a row of small Kashyyyki Wroshyr trees, their bending trunks flexing back and forth in the light wind that blew over the platform's surface. Puffs of the dust floated around in the breeze. A kaleidoscope of shadows shimmered through the leaves. The massive Tasha-class cruiser sat patiently at the end of the platform, waiting for its passengers to arrive before it could leave the system.
Riyo shivered as the chilled wind hit her bare arms. The breeze had picked up here. Normally, in the city streets where she lived, it was mostly blocked by the buildings. Here in the upper levels, the platform was out in the open, and the icy breeze floated straight onto her exposed skin. The insistent cold was making her skin turn a darker blue than the normal hue she naturally adopted.
Her clothing didn't help to keep her protected from the freezing gusts. As an aide of the Pantora's Senator, she needed to wear the customary uniform that she and the dozen other maidens donned on official days, like meetings and conferences. Designed to be a beautiful, flowing mix of light purple silks that gradually darkened as they flowed towards the ground. It gave an observer the impression that the aides were floating when they walked.
The dress sat off the shoulders, secured up by a loop of fabric around the lady's neck. The sleeves were non-existent. It was elegant, sleek and beautiful, but the dress hadn't been designed for warmth – an oversight, Riyo was sure. Afterall, with the icy tundra covering most of the moon, anyone would assume their uniforms would be made for warmth.
She peeked towards the front of their group, where two armed guards marched forward, pistols at the ready. At the entrance to the landing pad stood two Senate commandos, complete with their long blue capes, and rifles. A collection of Republic techs and local personnel hurried around the Tasha, ensuring it was prepped for flight.
Leading the group was the current Senator, and the aides current boss, Senator Trav-iss Torn. Clad in the second most regal suit she had ever seen him in, an almost gaudy maroon covered with gold inlays, he strutted rather than walked. His head was held high, even though he was looking down, staring intently at the datapad in his hand. Most likely, he probably rehearsing the no-doubt fabulous speech he was to deliver to the Senate. She glanced to the procession of eight similarly clad women spread out behind the Senator. Her allies and confidants, the eight aides watched as the nearest Senate commando hurried them past, then muttered something quietly into his comm.
At the worst possible moment, right as the entered the landing pad, Riyo felt the neck-loop of her gown loosen again and hurriedly grabbed it, placing it back against her neck.
A light cough caught her attention, and she looked up at one of her sister aides, Miriam Dufo. The older girl shook her head and quickly snatched the strap back from the younger girl's hand, slipping it over Riyo's head. She continued to fuss around the younger maiden, brushing out the creases in the thin, purple fabric of the gown.
"Did you get dressed in the dark today, Riyo?", Miriam hissed quietly, "You look like you just woke up!"
Very funny, Riyo thought, but kept it to herself. In truth, she had been awake for only one hour. They had been required to get up earlier than usual, trying to avoid any assassin who would try to shoot Trav-iss as they boarded. The sun was only now peeking over horizon to check on the residents of Fortress. But at least Riyo had reported for duty, if a little unkempt. Three of the aides had to remain behind. Miriam was only trying to help, she knew. "Sorry, Miriam. I was a bit… distracted today."
"Thinking of today's trip?", the anger was gone now, and Riyo saw the tattoo's above the woman's eyebrows rise a little. She stopped fussing over the dress and moved onto the younger girl's hair, twisting the long lavender locks into a delicate braid.
Riyo nodded at that, "It's my first time offworld. I think I have a reason to be nervous."
"I remember my first time offworld.", Miriam grinned as she pulled a delicate gold pin from her bag and securing it into the youth's braid, "It's literally nothing to worry about. Nothing happens at all. You just sit in a chair while we hurtle through hyperspace. At the most, it can be a little… strenuous."
"Girls!", a harsh voice hissed at them, "Hurry up."
The two handmaidens looked up to see the Agatha's wrinkled form gesturing for them to hurry up. Agatha was by far the oldest handmaiden here. She had served in the Senator's envoy since she had been a little girl and knew every protocol that needed to be followed by memory. Rumour was that she and Trav-iss had joined politics together. The old woman had little time or patience for the newer members of their ranks, such as Riyo. Miriam, on the other hand, was much kinder. She was only a few years older than Riyo, and had become like an older sister during their training. Even their yellow tattoos were a similar position and style. Riyo had two curved lines on each cheek, while Miriam had one curved line under each of her eyes and three vertical lines on her forehead.
Miriam rolled her eyes, "We are coming, Agatha. Give me a minute to help Riyo out and we can be on our way, okay? Surely you can survive a few more minutes without crumbling to dust."
Riyo hid a smile at that. The two women clashed over everything, and the arguments could often carry on for days. It was nothing noteworthy, just little snipes whenever they had the chance. Miriam did not like Agatha's harsh nature towards the younger members of the Senator's party.
"There.", the older girl stood up and studied her handiwork, "That makes you look less like a scamp and more like a proper young lady! But only just. You need to learn to do this yourself. I won't always be able to help you, Riyo!"
"Sorry, Miriam.", Riyo nodded, "I am trying."
"I know you are, Helumi. Now here.", she unclipped her necklace and draped it around Riyo's neck. Unlike the rest of the handmaidens, Miriam constantly wore a necklace with a beautiful crystal on the end. She grabbed the crystal now and brought it up for Riyo to stare at, "Do you know what is so special about this?"
Riyo shook her head, reaching out to touch the sleek surface.
Miriam grinned, "This is latent Kyber. My own mentor gave it to me on my first trip. I know that most people don't believe in the Force, or that the Jedi use these in their weapons, but I believe that this crystal has always kept me safe. Now I want you to have it. Whenever you get worried, look at it, and trust that the Force is with you."
Wordlessly, and a bit shocked at this revelation, Riyo took the crystal, "I can't take this."
"Of course you can.", her unofficial mentor closed her hand over Riyo's, forcing her to fingers around the crystal. "Besides, it is very rude to refuse a gift. Now hurry up, before we get left behind, Helumi."
The word Helumi meant sister in the ancient tongue of Pantora. It was not the first time Miriam had called her that, but this time it hit a different chord. Riyo lowered her head slightly, a bit ashamed. There was no way that she was worthy of that term.
They hurried to join the end of the aide's convoy, who were approaching the ship now. A ray of sunlight lanced between the two buildings, and Riyo winced as she barely stopped her hand from shielding her eyes. Aide's were not meant to move. But then her foot caught on the uneven cobblestones, pushed up slightly by the roots of the nearby trees. She fell forward, then overcorrected by throwing her body back the other way. Not completely confidant in her heels, she rolled off her feet and fell the left, away from Miriam. The rough stone filled her vision, and she had the image of a hospital bed and a concussion!
A hand grabbed her arm from nowhere and steadied her, while an arm appeared under her torso and pushed upright. Her vision suddenly filled with a hooded shadow above her, holding her up. She squinted into the shadows of his hood, seeing the indistinct lines of a young face. He couldn't have been much older than her, possibly only a few months at most. A sliver of dark orange robes were hidden beneath the cloak, and she felt something metal on his arms as they encircled her. Greaves, maybe. His face was shrouded by the deep hood, save for a mouth and the tip of a slightly crooked and fixed nose.
He helped her back to her feet and gave her small smile, before walking back to the front of the group. The cloak fell away from his hands slightly as he walked, and she got a better look at his uniform. There were two metal gauntlets around his forearms, and she stared for a moment before they disappeared beneath the thick robes again. His left arm had a tight black glove on it. She could not see his right, but the warmth on her skin proved that it was bare. He stopped and stood beside another hooded figure, who was talking to the Senator, and she took a moment to study them both closer. They were shrouded in mystery, to say the least. There was nothing distinguishable that she could see, except for the shiny metal tubes at their waist.
Senator Torn was talking to them. Clearly these people were important if he went to talk to them. Most people came to speak with him, within earshot. Perhaps they were just the pilots. Maybe they were going to be his bodyguards. Then she remembered the conversation she had half listened to during the farewell speech the night before. Something about a Jedi escort. Was this them? Maybe. If only she could hear whatever strange and wonderous things they were discussing, she might know more.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE NEED TO WAIT FOR THE SHIP TO REFUEL?", Trav-iss Torn did not shout. He had been raised in an aristocratic family, and therefore knew a far more intimidating way to show his anger. He clenched his teeth and spat the words through them. "Shouldn't you have been fuelled up and ready to leave?"
Stass blinked for a second, before reaching a delicate finger up and wiping a strand of saliva off her left eyebrow and flicking it away. She fixed the Senator with a look that clearly stated her lack of intimidation. "It will take only a few more minutes. We needed to sweep the ship before you arrived, for your safety, and that took a bit more time than expected. Please try to be patient, Trav-iss."
"That is Senator Torn to you, Jedi.", the Pantoran snapped at her, then pointed to the procession behind him. "I simply don't like my people being out in the open for long. Not with the terrorists still out there."
A quiet chuckle caught his attention, and he turned to see the other younger Jedi leaning against the cruiser's open ramp. He closed his lips together and swallowed. He didn't know the hierarchy of the Jedi, but this one seemed to not even be twenty. How dare he speak to a Senator this way? Was he allowed to?
"That seems like a fair concern, 'Senator Torn'.", Caloc smirked as he took a bite out of a jogan fruit he had found who-knows-where, the juice dribbling down his chin, "But I think you will be pretty safe here. We have nine Republic commando units keeping track of us from the different buildings around us. They were pulled from medical resupply stations. Those will be the terrorist targets, not you. You have nothing to worry about, mate."
Trav-iss stared at him for a second. Clearly this… boy… was not a higher ranking Jedi. He should know not to speak that way to a Senate Representative. He spun around to Stass again. Impunity laced his words as he asked, "And who is this?"
"My padawan.", Stass smiled warmly at the youth, "I'm teaching him about decorum."
"You seem to be failing at it.", the Senator let out a sharp breath and rubbed his temple. Carefully, he slowed his breathing, before turning and walking away from the pompous Jedi. Instead, he gestured for Agatha to follow him aboard the transport. "I am going to get my people aboard."
"Trust me.", Caloc called out after the obnoxious man, feigning cheerfullness, "You're in good hands. Stass is the best there is."
"Where are you on that list?", asked the nearest Senate Commando, a young man named Talos whom Caloc had met on the Resurrection.
Caloc stared at the soldier. "Aren't you meant to be watching the Senator? Isn't that literally your job?"
"Technically, sir, I watch the ship.", Talos answered. He turned to stalk the Senator regardless, his rifle held over his shoulder.
Stass shook her head as she watched the Senator huff back to his handmaidens and protocol droids, "When should I tell him that the real reason we are waiting is because our transport back from Dunlain was late?"
"When should I tell him that he isn't worth the attention of most of these Senate guards? We only have what, five coming with us?", Caloc retorted, biting into the jogan again. Yellow juices slid down his chin, which he wiped away with the back of his hand. He smacked his lips appreciatively. "I think the answer to both those questions is never. Besides, they told us that the ship would be ready when we got here."
"This comms blackout is messing with the entire comm system. We can't even effectively organise a simple departure on the same planet.", Stass waved her hand at the commlink on her belt. Indeed, with the system scrambler active somewhere in the system, most long-range communication was spotty. If you were contacting someone in the same city, the transmission was clear, but from another city miles away like Dunlain, it was nearly impossible to get anything other than spotty fizzes and static to Fortress.
A loud whoosh came from above and the two Jedi looked up to watch one of the nearby speeders slow slightly, pulling up beside the docks. Caloc bit again into the jogan as it came to a landing, then threw the core over his shoulder. It splattered on the deck nearby with a wet schlop.
A large, muscular Pantoran leapt out of the speeder and hurried over. Stass recognised him as Nemori, the head guard assigned to the Republic encampment by the Assembly. He was a muscular man, but he had an injured thorax, meaning that his voice could only come out in a hushed whisper. Indeed, that whisper reached her ears as the man came within reach "Master Allie, I bring unfortunate news from the Jedi Kit Fisto. You must leave immediately. The attacks in the city are increasing, and the Jedi Windu worries that the supply convoys are at risk. We need those troopers back in the city. We understand that your fuel is still low, but you can detour to Shili and refuel there in safety before going to Coruscant."
"I understand.", Stass smiled at him, then turned to her padawan. "Caloc, get the Senator on board please."
Caloc gave her a sarcastically sweet smile and turned away, muttering something about 'the menial jobs always being given to the padawan.'
Nemori let out a hissing sound that could have been laughter. "My own son is the same way, Master Jedi. I hope that you have a safe trip. Unfortunately, our hopes seem to rest on that man there.
Stass followed his eyes as they glanced over Trav-iss. She smiled and placed a hand on the muscular man's blue shoulder, "Thank you, Nemori. May the Force be with you."
"Guess we are leaving.", Caloc appeared back at her shoulder as Nemori boarded his speeder again. He reached down beside the boarding ramp and grabbed his satchel, slinging the heavy bag over his shoulder. "I'll detach the mooring lines."
Stass smiled at his eagerness "Then I guess I'll go and let your lieutenant friend know about the change of plans."
He barked out a genuine laugh. "Oh, Telle is going to love hearing that."
Tarrok's eyes narrowed as he watched the Jedi split up. He fiddled with the controls of his macronoculars, clicking the view in slowly. The older Tholothain Jedi, he grimaced as he even thought that she could be the same species as him, hurried up the gangplank. She disappeared inside. The boy hurried to the rear of the ship, yelling at a few of the tiny Lannik and Utai who were watching the fuel pipes. Immediately, they moved as one, twisting dials and switches to turn off the fuel and unhitching the pipes. It was too early. They couldn't be at more than three quarters of their fuel capacity, and he suspected it might be less. His mask rasped and fizzed as he activated the commlink fitted into it.
"Kolraresh, tell the Senator that his rival is leaving on his last mission."
"Did your attacks work?", the raspy voice of his partner asked. "Have they been diverted?"
"I believe so.", he answered, "They have less than three-quarters a tank of fuel."
"That might put them near Shili – or a dozen other systems.", Kolraresh answered. "I'm sending one of the droids up to the jamming ship. Your followers can get that message to your friend, right?"
"Trust me.", Tarrok grinned beneath his mask, "Rellus will be overjoyed to receive this news."
A mutter of acknowledgement came through his earpiece and he grinned beneath the mask. Finally, his time was nearly at hand. He could nearly taste it. His payment was within his grasp. But first…
Terran raised the sniper rifle onto his shoulder and fired a tracking fob onto the hull. He smirked "Try getting around now, Jedi."
Her fingers tapped relentlessly against the metal frame of the door as though with a will of their own, waiting for something to happen. The waiting was the worst part of command. You could be in charge of a job, because you were in charge of finding jobs for everyone else. You were kept busy making sure everyone else was kept busy. And she had done her job too well. Telle had effectively made sure that everyone under her command was doing something, and so all she could do was stare at the tiny diagnostic screen showing data of the fuel tank levels.
The Restored Triumph, as the ship was named, was a sitting duck. Even though she had her small squad of troopers watching through their sniper scopes, there were still a thousand ways that the terrorists could attack the transport. Angles they had not covered. Attacks they had not considered. Carefully, she gripped the stock of her blaster, her fingers curling around the pressurised DC-14t pistol on her hip, knowing that it wouldn't do much good against an attack if one did come. She tried to assure herself one would not suddenly rock the ship and cause some disaster.
"Lieutenant?", she heard Stass' voice behind her.
"Well, ain't this perfect.", she muttered, before turning around and giving the Tholothian a massive, obviously forced grin, "What can I do for you, Master Allie?"
"I just received word from the encampment.", Stass glanced up at the screen. She was using the codename they had developed for the Council, "We need to leave now."
"Our tanks aren't full.", Telle crossed her arms and gestured at the screen.
"Both the Admiral and Master Fisto say that we can detour to Shili and refuel before we continue to Coruscant."
"I'm guessing we can blame this change in our schedule on unforeseen complications?", Mark asked from the pilot's seat. "Those always seem to pop up on important missions."
"Indeed they do.", Telle frowned and nodded at the bearded pilot. He knew her well enough to know precisely what that meant. "Antilles! Get this ship in the air, or I'll fire you from my father's brigade!"
"I could go back to freelancing.", Mark chuckled, "Pay might not be much, but the action is far more interesting."
"You want action?", Stass piped up from the door, "I'll put you down for training with Caloc."
Author's Notes:
Thank you all for your views. It means a lot. Thank you for taking an interest in my fiction.