Chapter 14: The Plot
May 13, 2227.
The security measures at the Academy and on Lothal had now been severely overhauled. Moreena's investigation revealed that the members of SCAR Squadron had actually arrived on the planet as passengers on separate flights, and now the police had their actual faces. There was still the issue of how they got their equipment through the controls, but the Bridgers figured that this was probably why the Detective had asked them to meet her at her precinct.
Said precinct was the 41st of Capitol City, the one that also had jurisdiction over the area that covered the Academy. It was built into a quite small and squared building that sat in the middle of other housing and commercial activities. That was the downtown, far from the sky-touching towers of the center, but it was still a fairly nice neighborhood.
Moreena greeted them and then led them inside her Captain's office, where the officer was already waiting for them. The man's name was Kenev, and he spoke with a deep, composed voice.
"Masters. Captain Bridger." he greeted them. "I wish once again to apologize for our failure to handle the crisis."
"Nonsense, Captain." Ezra reassured. "You did everything you could. Many younglings would probably not be alive if you didn't manage the situation as well as you did."
"Still, it was a failure for the LCPD that it happened in the first place. At least we can give you some answers, now."
Kenev made a little gesture with his hand to leave the word to Moreena. The woman stepped forward and put a datapad in front of the Bridgers.
"After we identified the members of SCAR Squadron, I went back and checked out their IDs and found out two things: the first is that they were moving around with authorizations from the New Republic. You might assume that's nothing special until I found out the second thing…" she lit up her omni-tool and brought up the images of a couple of storage depots of the spaceport. They used their IDs here to recover a cargo that had their weapons and armors."
"With civilians ID?" Jordan asked suspicious. "That doesn't add up."
"Indeed, Captain." Kenev intervened. "We asked the help of the Federal Investigation Authority to identify those permits, and it turned out that they have been authorized by the Ministry of Defense of the New Republic."
Kenev had said that nonchalantly, but the news was a shock to the Jedi.
"Are you saying that they got help from the Republic?" Jaral asked.
"Clearly somebody with high clearance helped them." Kenev replied. "But we don't have any authority to go and investigate the Ministry of a foreign nation."
"Of course." Ezra said in a plain tone. "But we do."
"We're leaving for Lianna. Dad, you coming with us?" Jaral added.
"Of course, but I gave my crew their shore leave and I want them to rest while they can. Let's ask Hera for backup." Jordan replied.
The siblings rose from the chairs, thanked the Captain and Moreena, made a quick copy of the files and then left, taking the skycar back to the Academy. The structure had already changed for a local building company had been hired to build a two-meter-tall wall with only one large gate cut by the only road linking the compound to the highway. The new recruits of the Jedi Militia and the Protectors had established guard turns to check everybody that tried to enter the area, even the Bridgers were quickly inspected with a DNA scanner to make sure it was them.
Some of the younglings had been forbidden to go there by their families, and the Jedi were trying to convince them that the children would be much safer at the Academy now that it was protected more thoroughly than staying at home and risking being targeted when they were isolated.
At least the Order had received an enormous solidarity from both galaxies. After all, since their creation the year before, this Jedi Order had done its best to actually act as the peacekeepers by suppressing criminal gangs and, most importantly, by making sure to provide much-needed supplies to the refugees that fled from the war and ended on wild planets with little to sustain themselves.
Emperor Francesco had himself expressed his condolences for the recent death of a Padawan and promised that he would made sure an attack like that would never be able to happen on Lothal, he had also made a large donation to the NGOs that were now cooperating with the Jedi in their relief missions.
The skycar was parked and the trio left it. The Academy in the middle of the lessons, with Lissia in particular preparing a new batch of younglings for a Gathering that was to be held in a couple weeks. The Tolothian girl had a stern posture and voice. Seeing her friend die right in front of her had been devastating, but after taking a few hours to cry in solitude she had already processed the pain and she intended to do her part in transforming the Order into the entity that will be able to ensure the Sith to justice.
Then there was also the new addition to the teacher staff: Huyang, who was just returning from a tour in the city where he had scavenged around for the parts needed to build new lightsabers.
Honestly, hearing the story of that millennia-old droid had been quite a surprise for the siblings. Not only that machine was from the old Order, he was apparently around since the dawn of it. The amount of knowledge stored in his database, and most importantly the naturalness he could build lightsabers with was astonishing.
The siblings immediately gathered the Ghost crew, the present Knights and Master Yoda around to report what they had just learned.
"So we know that some walking dump has betrayed the Republic and allowed the attack on the Academy to occur." Jaral said, clear but with a clear threatening undertone.
"You want to go on Lianna and investigate the Ministry? You are not military anymore." Kallus noted.
"Luckily for us, we have a New Republic General." Ezra replied with a witty smirk and pointing at Hera.
"Count me in." the Twi'lek hissed, remembering full well that her son had also been abducted during the attack and she was hell-bent on getting some payback.
"Me too." Kyle stepped forward. "I owe it to Sellion."
"You sure you're ok, Katarn?" Jordan asked.
"I'll be much better once we find who caused all this."
"Very well, you can come." Ezra said with an admonishing tone. "But be extra careful not to let your desire for justice become vengeance. That's a very dangerous line to walk."
"I promise, I will let you handle the investigation." Kyle reassured. "I just want to be there when we catch that blasted Kwana."
"Then it's settled." Hera declared. "Everyone on board."
"Cal, are you willing to stay here?" Ezra asked.
"Don't worry. I'll watch things here." Kestis replied.
With that, the team gathered all their gear and headed onto the Ghost. Since the trip was going to take at least two rotations, they spread around in the cabins. Hera had her own with Jacen, who now the Twi'lek had decided to bring with her on the ship; Kallus and Zeb shared a bunk bed; Jordan and Kyle were given another one and then Ezra and Sabine returned into the latter's former one, finding all her graffiti still decorating every spot of durasteel.
"Damn. I forgot how much you love drawing." Ezra commented a little amused. "You still haven't decorated our room on the Bullet."
Sabine smirked. "I mean, I repainted the whole ship. Besides, there are much better things to do in that cabin."
Ezra chuckled, but alas, that was no time for funny activities. They needed to plan how they wanted to approach this problem.
May 14, 2227.
As Jane looked out of the viewport, the Amerigo came out of her FTL jump from the nearest Mass Relay, bringing with her the entire 1st SpecOps. In a dark corner of the Magonid's home-system, the forces of the Alliance were about to pave the road for an operation that could mark a new milestone in Milky Way's diplomatic relations.
"Captain Shepard," EDI said with an amused tone. "Admiral Shepard is inviting you aboard the INS Amerigo."
"Tell him I am on the way and request permission to dock." Jane replied in tone and went to call the rest of the family up to Deck 2. The twins and Wilhelm quickly arrived, wearing their uniforms for the meeting with the Admiral and the other high officers.
The Normandy was allowed to dock with one of the upper decks, though they would need to walk some more before they reached the command bridge.
There they found John, in his Admiral uniform, standing around the holo-table with the officers of the 1st, and also a Human around his 30s with dark skin and a reddish uniform with a pattern of gray forms.
John smiled and went to greet them, hugging his daughter.
"It's so good to see you, Jenny."
"You too, Dad."
John then proceeded to welcome his beloved grandchildren and his former son-in-law. Then he directed them to they man in reddish uniform.
"Guys, may I present you General Haguey Romero of the Terminus Communal Army. He will lead the land division to invade the Magonid homeworld."
The man made the salute then extended a hand. "Captain Shepard." he greeted with a Latino-like accent. "It is an honor. I am a great admirer of your work to preserve the peace."
"Nobody but a few crooks wish for this conflict, General. I'm just doing the reasonable thing."
"Him, too." said John. "The General has been in charge of investigating a series of false flag attack in the Traverse."
"False flag?" Scott asked. "What happened?"
"While Rannoch was under attack, one of our Member planets has been attacked by a force using Federal gear. We repelled them, and after an investigation, we found out that they were actually supplied by the Magonid." Romero explained.
"So you are here for some payback, as well." Sara quipped.
"We are here to bring freedom to the Magonid people." Romero replied sternly and with total naturalness.
"Ok…" Sara murmured, finding that reply a bit harsh.
"It's not just a slogan…" John added. "This operation aims at decapitating their leadership. The Magonid are ruled by a Cartel and it's clear that they have supplied the pirates who attacked both of us. Our task is to take their leaders and interrogate them, and maybe see if we can place a more civilized government."
"Unseating a species' government?" Wilhelm asked. "Won't that put us at odds with the other minors in the Traverse?
"That's a concern for the Emperor and the politicians." was John's reply. "We have orders."
"Besides, if this operation succeeds, we will finally find who is behind this whole plot." Romero added.
"All right. So what do we do?" Jane asked.
John invited them to gather around and proceeded to lay out the plan: the 1st SpecOps was going to send out its teams of operators to take out a group of AA batteries laid out by the mercenaries, paving the road for the 21st Communal Guard Regiment to make a quick landing and secure Konoma Plaza, the main square of the capital city Randanata. That square hosted a huge palace where the members of the Cartel lived in their luxury and also gathered to discuss how to make their next profits. Once the area outside was secured, the crew of the Normandy would make a landing with shuttles and with the ship going low orbit to occupy any landing pad and cut any airlift out of there.
It was a simple plan, one that required a quick, decisive action.
"That's all for now." the Admiral concluded. "Why don't you go to the hangar and get acquainted a bit with our allies?"
"I guess we might as well." Jane returned.
The Shepards and Wilhelm thus reached Hangar 4, one of the major ones of the stealth cruiser and the only one where soldiers of both sides had to share the same space because the others were full. So on one side there were the SpecOps, either preparing their 'Helarcos' and 'Uzra' dropships for the imminent operation or engaged in a confrontation of gazes with some other soldiers of the Commune a few meters away, both sides leaning on crates.
There was no open hostility, but reciprocal suspicion was evident. After all, despite all the good apparitions of the politicians, the reality was much more complex. The soldiers of the Alliance have been at war either in Andromeda or the Milky Way for three years, and some soldiers of the Commune were fighting alongside the Tambaran as volunteers. On the other hand, many Communards had grown up under the boot of the federal financial corporations and they viewed the soldiers in front of them as defenders of a broken system.
Still, the ones staring at each other were only a handful. Most of the soldiers seemed not to mind who they were working with, as long as they could bring the corrupted Magonid down.
But among the soldiers of the Commune, two in particular quickly caught Jane's attention. For one, because they were clearly staring at her, and two, because they were part of the two species that she had saw for the first time on Primigenia: a Urshin and a Kinayet.
The Urshin was bald, indicating that he was a male, was quite large and tall and even if he wore a tactical gear reminiscent of the old Kevlar armors that hid his form, he was clearly muscular.
The Kinayet, having a semi-humanoid body, was easy to identify as a female. She was smoking a cigarette. Her skin was a mixture of azure and white, just like her hair. Her eyes were yellow like those of a cat.
Partially curious to personally meet someone from those species, and also to understand why they had that judgmental look on them, Jane decided to approach them.
As she neared them and was about to greet, the Urshin spoke up. "What do you want, Human?"
The tone wasn't likable in the slightest, so she decided that she would at least be a little sarcastic. "I was just wondering if you had eaten something you can't digest, given your gloom."
"We ate our own food, thanks for the concern." the Kinayet replied coldly.
"You two don't wear the usual uniform of the Commune. Who are you?" Jane then asked directly.
"I guess it's a necessity…" the female replied. "My name is Xhanya, of the Kinayet Republic. This guy is Tr'eluk, of the Urshin Compact. And to answer your observation, we're here to participate on behalf of our government."
"And they only sent you two?"
"Our local armies are nowhere near ready for a real battle." Tr'eluk said with a grumble. "After all, our worlds were controlled by Verde-Technica until a few months ago, and these pirates raided us very recently."
"Verde-Technica, which as far as we know, is still operating inside your Federation." Xhanya added.
Jane's face squinted as she tried to figure which corporation they were talking about. "The VT? They were suspected to be making experiments on sentient beings, but we never found any proof."
"Apparently you are not that good as you think." the Urshin mocked.
Now their attitude made more sense, and Jane regretted answering that way before, but this was an opportunity that she couldn't let slip.
"Yes, we had no idea where they were doing their experiments, but if you give us proofs, we can still bring them in front of a court."
Tr'eluk snorted. "Let's be clear about this, Captain. We don't trust your Federation. If you weren't able to control those people before, what insurance can you give us that you can make justice now?"
It was clear to Jane that only a concrete act could sway the diffident aliens. She made a step forward with a resolute yet calm acting. "How about we make a deal? Join my team and assault the palace with us. If there's any of the Magonid that you intend to bring back to your planets for a trial, they are all yours. Once we are done, you allow me to come with you and take proofs and testimonies of the crimes committed by Verde-Technica."
The aliens looked surprised by that declaration. Jane was basically making only concessions on her end.
Eventually it was Xhanya who broke the silence. She aspired her cigarette one last time and then crushed it on the wall behind her, using that motion to detach her back from said wall.
"You know what? I already don't expect your investigation to go anywhere. Worst case scenario, I don't lose anything. You have a deal."
Jane made a nod and looked at Tr'eluk, who took another moment to think about it before eventually grunting and nodding affirmatively.
"I should go." Jane concluded before turning away.
May 15, 2227.
The Ghost was already in sight of Lianna, but there was a problem, as Jordan noticed when he stepped inside the cockpit and found Hera speaking into the comlink with a certain annoyance.
"Lianna Control, this is General Syndulla, requesting permission to land."
She waited a little, but even Zeb and Kallus were looking at each other suspiciously, then looking at the comlink. Jordan quickly caught that she had been trying that for a while.
In fact, Hera leaned her arm on her left armrest and repeated the phrase a bit tired.
"Lianna Control, this is General Syndulla. We're headed to the military spaceport, dock 6. Are we clear to descend?"
No reply came. Meanwhile, Ezra and Jaral also entered.
"What's going on?" Kallus asked. "Event if there was a malfunction on the main network, they are supposed to have backups."
Zeb mumbled in thought. "How about we check the secondary frequencies?" he then said as he turned his seat toward the consoles on the starboard side. He put the headset near his right ear and started scouring around. Nearly a minute later, he found something.
"Hey. Yeah, it's Zeb. Wait...what?" he turned toward Ezra. "Hey, kid. An old friend of yours, this is big." then tapped the button to open the speakers.
"Ezra, my boy." a familiar voice spoke with a mixture of urgent and lighthearted tone.
The young Master clearly skipped a beat. "Hondo?!"
"Yes. But for how much I'd like to tell you my most recent adventures, I have to inform you that Lianna is under attack."
"What? From whom?"
"The Consortium. They have taken control of the docks. They even took my ship."
"Are you safe?"
"Of course not. I lost my cargo. All my profits, gone."
"Hondo!" Ezra replied with less patience. "This is serious. Do you where we can land?"
"Ah, yes...there is still fighting near the Headquarters of the Army. You might just be able to drop on them before they notice you."
Ezra and Jordan looked at Hera, who nodded promptly as she knew the place and was sure she could make that maneuver.
"Just stay safe, Hondo. We'll deal with this."
"Try not to die, kiddo."
The transmission ended, the Bridgers and Zeb left the room to go and prepare while Hera pushed the Ghost down to the surface. As they passed in front of the cabins, Jacen peeked out from his mother's.
"Uncle Ezra. Are we there yet?" he asked.
Ezra quickly lowered and put a hand on the child's shoulder. "We are, Jacen, but there are some trouble. Just stay in here until your mother comes for you, all right?"
"But…"
"Good boy." Ezra quickly said, then he gently pushed him behind the threshold and sealed the door.
They reached the hangar, brought Sabine and Kyle up to speed and told them to prepare for a quick insertion. The Bridgers materialized their armors and prepared their weapons, both lightsabers and rifles, and walked in front of the ramp, waiting for the signal to jump out.
Said signal arrived barely five minutes later, when the Ghost passed over Lianna City, where chaos seemed to reign on the streets. Cars of the police and military vehicles were deployed all around, tanks of the Republic and of the Consortium were fighting on the streets, even in front of the HQ, The Ghost headed for the roof of the command building, where a shootout was occurring between the MP and soldiers of the Consortium.
"Let's split up." Jaral said. "I take the left, Ezra the right."
That phrase also implied that each of them would get two of the other companions following their lightsabers. As soon as the Ghost hovered over a landing pad, the squad jumped out, the siblings ignited their green lightsabers and charged against the mercenaries. These had managed to encircle the Republic soldiers, forcing them into the central corridor leading to the door while they used the several crates of supplies as cover to press the attack.
The sudden arrival of the Jedi caught them unprepared and off-guard, meaning that they were quickly wiped out. The squad gathered immediately with the surviving troopers, only to discover that they were protecting someone else they already knew and was pressing a wound on his left side.
"Bridgers. So the Force is with us, after all." the Kel-Dor commented relieved.
"General Moot." Jaral recognized astounded. "What are you doing here?"
The alien grunted as one of the troopers lowered and gave him some medi-gel. "Getting myself shot while trying to retake the HQ. They took it with the first strike. Without a safe channels, my men are running blind out there."
"How bad is the situation?" Jordan asked. "Any news about the President and the Ministers?"
Moot stood up with a little help. "No. I lost contact almost immediately. Last thing I knew, they were being evacuated to a safe location. I'll know more once I regain access to the network."
"Then let's get you one." Ezra replied. Him and Jaral took the lead in opening the door and entering the building, finding nobody, for the moment, but also finding a terminal that Moot quickly took control of.
"I'll set up a new channel to restore a bit of unity to our forces." he declared. And just as he was doing that, he also encountered something interesting. "According to the security logs, Senator Uji-Pa was about to meet the Head Judge, by now."
"Senator who?" Zeb asked.
"Uji-Pa is an Ahia-Ko and the Senator of the planet Akiva. He has made himself a name as a strict adherent to the ideas of justice and morality, so if he wanted to meet the Head Judge, it means someone big is about to get prosecuted."
"I bet that he knows who allowed the attack on the Academy. Where can we find him?" Ezra asked.
"He might have taken refuge in the office of the High Judge. It's an easily defensible position." one of the troopers suggested.
"I guess we should try, at least." Moot concluded. "Here, I'll send the coordinates via omni-tool. Go."
"We better split up." Jaral said. "Ezra, Zeb, Sabine, clear this building and find the Senator. We'll go find Mon Mothma."
"Agreed." Ezra replied.
While his sister looked for a speeder to reach the Senate, Ezra and his companions instead moved in to liberate the HQ. Already in the lobby they encountered a group of mercenaries who were setting up a few covers among the remains of dead people from the military and their own, but once again, they were not prepared to face A Jedi Master and his veteran allies. In quick succession the Specters liberated several rooms, they even encountered a team of soldiers that had managed to seal themselves into a safe room and were holding back the mercenaries.
With their directions, the squad was able to quickly reach the office of the High Judge, the highest judicial authority of the New Republic, who worked a lot with the military, since the New Republic hadn't had the time and resources yet to establish a professional police force on most of its planets, so the MP covered that work.
After taking out other agents of Zann, the squad got up a ramp of stairs leading to the office and breached it, only to find corpses.
"General Moot, this is Ezra. It looks like they killed the High Judge and two Senate bodyguards."
"Keep looking for the Senator. Don't count him dead until you see the body."
Ezra looked around until he arrived at the window looking the level below, where they had just fought. Only then did an alien that he never saw before, but with the robes that could only be afforded by a Senator, peeked out from a blind spot.
"Is that him?" Ezra asked as he sent the images to Moot.
"He is. Keep him safe, I'm sending a team to extract him."
Ezra turned and gestured his companions to get back on the stairs, then he turned around and saw a new alien, with a green skin and two large blades strapped to his arms, jump down from a girder of the roof. He clearly was aiming at the Senator.
The window was bulletproof, so Ezra quickly laid a hand on it and used the Force to break the atoms themselves, which made the window break into dust and gave him the chance to simply jump down, taking the assassin by surprise and forcing him to dash behind the Senator, threatening to kill him if the Jedi attempted any sudden movement. Ezra took out his pistol, since he was at a distance and the lightsaber wouldn't help him.
"I suggest you don't try anything stupid." Ezra calmly said.
"Mordys is behind this!" Uji-Pa exclaimed quickly.
"What?" Ezra asked after a moment of confusion.
"He hired the Consortium. He is going to turn the President and her whole Cabinet to them."
A second later, Zeb and Sabine finally finished their run down the stairs and fell behind Ezra, pointing their guns at the green alien, but then Ezra felt that Sabine realized something.
"You were at the Forge." she said.
The alien grumbled and didn't reply, keeping his attention on the Senator.
"Wait, so he's the guy who stole the projects on Mandalore?" Zeb asked.
"He is. Urai Fen. Second of Zann himself. So his boss must really be caring about this stunt, if he sent him." Sabine replied as she tried to slowly walk around to have a better shot at the assassin.
"You can't win, pal." Ezra said. "Just step back and put your hands behind your back."
"Can't do that." the alien replied. His voice seemed like that of a person with a sore throat, and yet it managed to sound intimidating.
Then the bird-like creature turned his head on his right and jumped backward in time to avoid a red blaster bolt, then a green one.
Ezra and his companions turned around only to see Hondo and Vizago moving in and firing at Fen.
"You shoot worse than an imperial!" Vizago yelled.
"Don't disrespect your Captain like this!" Hondo replied.
They kept firing, but Fen was simply too fast. Ezra prioritized putting the Senator behind him and was forced to let the alien escape.
"Yeah. Run, you avian freak!" the Weequay mocked at the end.
"Hondo. Vizago." Ezra said quite happy to see them. "Always jumping in at the best moment."
"Everything for my best friend!" Hondo replied with his usual enthusiasm.
"Also...I believe saving a Senator might just cover our losses today." Vizago added in a quipping tone, but it was clear that he meant it.
Ezra chuckled and shook his head. "I appreciate your help, guys, but first we need to end this. I need to alert Jari."
Making their best to bypass the various skirmishes occurring all along the city, Jaral, Jordan and Kyle sped toward the Senate and the various governmental offices. Ezra had already informed Jaral through the bond that Mordys was the head of the plot and that he was most likely with Mothma and the Cabinet, leading them into a trap.
"General Moot, any update on the President?" she asked in the comlink.
"I gained access to the security cameras of the Senate grounds. I spotted the entire Government being escorted away."
"Can you contact them?"
"I'm trying, but somebody is shutting us down continually."
"It must be Mordys. Come on, we need to hurry."
"They are probably trying to reach a shuttle. I'm sending you the NavPoint."
The helmets of the Legionnaires soon showed the coordinates on the visors, and looking down, they could see that the Republic forces were starting to put up a concerted response to the crisis. Some squads of mercenaries were already being pushed back or forced to surrender. Therefore, the path was more or less clear. Only when they arrived in front of the Senate itself did they come under fire from the mercs and were forced to fight their way in.
Not that they represented any real challenge anyway. Things got complicated when instead they ran into a woman with pale skin, a series of paints on her body and a loose tribal clothing that left her arms, part of her chest and her thighs uncovered. Her long black hair was flowing around just like the lightwhip she was walking around with.
"A Nightsister?" Jaral asked.
The woman turned around and looked at Jaral with a certain curiosity.
"A Jedi. Finally, I meet one." she said with what could only be described as a sadistic anticipation.
"We don't have time for this." Kyle commented whispering.
"I agree." Jaral replied. "Any ideas?"
"If I get close enough, I can freeze her up. That should be more effective than flames to hurt her." Jordan suggested.
"I'm not sure why you think that, but I trust your instinct. Come on." Jaral instructed.
As soon as she said that, more Consortium's mercenaries arrived in the hallway to back the Nightsister and a Defiler said something to her. The witch grunted.
"Blast. All right, we are getting out of here."
To the surprise of the Jedi and the Legionnaire, their enemies started to retreat. Quite likely, Moot had called in reinforcements, and without controlling the HQ, the mercs realized they had no chance to overthrow the government before the Army crushed them.
"If they ignore us, all the better." said Jaral. "Come on, Mordys can still use a shuttle to deliver his prizes."
They started running toward the higher levels, where the landing pads were. Moot had finally given them a map of the building and a real-time positioning of Mon Mothma and her cadre. The Bridgers and Kyle didn't waste any more moment, only shooting a few mercs along the way who dared to confront them.
Finally, they reached the pad where Mothma was, and Jaral quickly spotted Mordys, who was setting the automatic path for the shuttle at the external terminal.
"Stop!" she yelled, and everyone turned around. The guards at first pointed their guns, but quickly lowered as they saw it was the Jedi.
"Jaral?!" Mothma asked surprised and shocked. "What's going on?"
"They are trying to stop us. They are part of this plot!" Mordys immediately declared. Clearly, he was already panicking.
Preferring to keep a good appearance, Jaral quickly put away her lightsaber and ordered her companions to lower their weapons.
"Don't get aboard. Mordys is behind this. He is going to give you up to Tyber Zann. Senator Uji-Pa already confirmed this." she declared firmly.
All eyes turned on the Senator, who made a defiant face. "Please. You have no proofs. You have always despised this Republic and now you're trying to take it down."
"What?!" one of the Ministers replied with indignation. "The Republic wouldn't exist without the Bridgers."
"The investigation on Lothal has revealed that the attack on the Jedi Academy has occurred with the complicity of a member of the Defense Ministry." Jordan added to the accusations. "I guess this coup is his attempt to cover it all up."
Mothma had turned from shocked to furious. "Mordys. Is this true?!"
Mordys kept up his resentful expression. "There is no time to debate this. If we wait any longer, we will be sitting ducks for the Consortium. We need to get on that shuttle!"
"Answer the question!" Mothma insisted.
Mordys didn't reply. He seemed hesitant.
Then a fraction of second. His signature in the Force becomes desperate, violent. Jaral felt his intentions. She quickly learned that he had a gun under his robe and was about to reach it.
He did so with a speed and precision that seemed abnormal for him. Maybe it was the tension and the adrenaline that made him so quick, but point was that he was extracting a blaster with the clear intention of shooting the President.
But before his blaster fired, another one did. A yellow bolt arrived and hit Mordys straight in the chest, a part of the body that he was exposing to the Bridgers. A huge burn on his chest, right on his heart, and a moment later the Minister fell lifeless on the ground while the guards scrambled to protect Mothma.
Jaral looked on her right. Kyle's Bryar pistol was still smoking.
"What?" he asked with no remorse, instead a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "He was going to kill her."
Jaral shook her head slightly. Of course they could use the Force to disarm him before he did anything, but Kyle was still bitter about the death of Sellion, and now they knew that Mordys had been the one who caused it.
Shortly after, a team of soldiers reached the pad and reassured that the palace was safe and that the Navy was moving to blockade the planet and prevent any ship from leaving the planet until the mercenaries had been dealt with.
"Jaral. It seems like we owe you and your brother a tremendous debt." Mothma thanked once the atmosphere had calmed down.
"I can't believe that Mordys would stoop so low." the Minister of Interior said. "I know he wasn't satisfied with some of our policies, but this…"
"I'm still not sure whether he was just a pawn of Zann, or if he was trying to use both the Consortium and the Empire to further his goals." Jaral said.
"We need to launch a full investigation on this." Mothma declared. "I want all his possessions confiscated. His devices checked completely. We must find out why he did this and how. And we also need to make some adjustments to our laws, so that whatever power he abused, it won't happen again."
"Yes, Madam President." the Minister replied promptly.
As the group started to disband, Mothma took Jaral on the side, checked only by the Senate Guards.
"This is a huge mess. No way around it." the President commented exhausted.
"It's over now. And we need to focus on more pressing matters. Between this coup and the attack on the Academy, we all lost sight of the latest hot news: that the Empire is building another Death Star."
Mothma sighed. "Damn it. You're right." she rubbed her forehead for a few moments, then concluded with a suggestion. "When you and your brother are done, come see me in my office. We have a lot to discuss."
Jaral nodded and walked back to her team, ready to regroup with Ezra.