Author's Note: I don't own Star Wars: The Clone Wars or its characters, but I only own Nadia Aomori and my other OCs.
Enjoy!
Threads of Destiny
Chapter 56: Sabotage
Nadia smiled as she and Ferus sat together in the courtyard in the Jedi Temple.
No one was around, so the two of them were alone.
"How are you feeling, Nadia?"Ferus asked.
"Much better, Ferus. Thanks."Nadia responded with a soft smile."But just a little shaken at what occurred in Mandalore."
Ferus then held Nadia's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze causing her to look at him.
"Hey, what happened was not your fault."Ferus assured."I nearly freaked out when I thought I was going to lose you."
"I know, Ferus."Nadia admitted quietly."Sorry about that."
Ferus looked at Nadia silently before noticing it was only the two of them in the courtyard.
"Say, Dia."Ferus responded."There's something I need to tell you."
"Sure."Nadia answered.
Ferus took a deep breath before he began to speak to his girlfriend.
"You know, now that we're alone, there's...there's something that I've been wanting to ask you."Ferus admitted.
"Yes?"Nadia asked curiously."What is it?"
"Well, it's like this."Ferus said as he held Nadia's hands and looked at his girlfriend in the eyes."Nadia Aomori, I would be most honoured if-"
BOOM!
Both Ferus and Nadia became startled when they heard a sudden loud bombing sound not far from where they were and looked up.
The couple looked up in horror when they saw black smoke arising from the hangar area of the Jedi Temple.
Nadia paled. "Oh my gosh..."
There had been a bomb attack in the Jedi Temple!
Afterwards...
Ferus and Nadia met with Anakin and Ahsoka to go to a meeting with the Jedi Council on the incident that occurred.
"How could the Separatists infiltrate the Temple?"Anakin asked.
"Worse than that it is."Master Yoda replied.
"What could be worse, Master Yoda?"Ahsoka asked.
This caused Obi-Wan, Saesee Tiin and Shaak Ti to quietly glance at one another.
"Everything is on the table."Mace Windu stated."We have to look at the possibility that it could've been anyone in the Temple. Even a Jedi."
"If a Jedi this is, gone to the dark side they have."Master Yoda commented.
"I-I can't believe a Jedi would attack a place this sacred."Nadia retorted sadly.
"We'd like for you four to lead the investigation."Mace Windu admitted."We can't trust anyone who was here. Even a Jedi. You four will provide an impartial point of view free of assumptions."
"We'll do everything we can."Anakin assured.
Ferus nodded. "You can count on us."
"Careful you must be, young Skywalker and young Olin."Master Yoda warned sternly."If willing to destroy the Temple the attacker is, to great lengths they will go to keep from being caught."
"Then I guess we'll have to go to even greater lengths to catch him."Anakin stated firmly.
Ahsoka, Ferus and Nadia all nodded in agreement.
A While Later...
Anakin, Ahsoka, Ferus and Nadia went to the burned hangar to investigate while a few droids were searching around the area.
"I can still hear the screams."Nadia said nervously.
"Me too."Ferus agreed.
Ahsoka looked at Anakin.
"Do you believe what they said, Master?"Ahsoka asked in disbelief."That a Jedi could do this?"
"Not every Jedi agrees with this war, Ahsoka."Anakin reminded."There are many political idealists among us."
"But a traitor?"Ahsoka said in disbelief.
"I'm afraid one can eventually become the other."Anakin admitted."Remember Count Dooku and General Krell that's how they started too."
Nadia frowned at Anakin's declaration.
"Still find it shocking to know that Count Dooku had been the one that trained Master Qui-Gon."Nadia complemented.
Then Russo-ISC, a SP-4 ISC crime scene analysis droid who served the Jedi Order, walked up to the group.
"Only analysis and investigation will prove what is true or not."Russo instructed.
"Who are you?"Ferus questioned.
"I am Russo-ISC, Crime Scene Analyzer for the Jedi."Russo replied."I will be working with you four on this case, I was assigned by Master Windu."
"Okay, Russo, you, Ahsoka and Nadia should begin the interviews."Anakin ordered.
"I would rather interview the witnesses alone."Russo stated.
This caused Anakin, Ahsoka, Ferus and Nadia to look at each other.
"Why?"Ahsoka asked.
"Many of the wounded have heard rumours a Jedi was behind this explosion."Russo explained."There will be ill will toward you."
This caused Nadia to become annoyed.
"Oh please, tin head."Nadia retorted."The four of us have fought in many battles for the Jedi Order and I doubt any of us would suddenly turn rogue because we have issues upon seeing many effects caused by this wretched war."
"I am aware of the grand reputations of you and your friends, Commander Aomori."Russo declared."But unfortunately, all the members of the Council believe each Jedi is a suspect."
Nadia rolled her eyes at Russo's respond.
"Because the importance of friendship doesn't really exist in their book."Nadia scoffed and thought."Then again, not many members of the Jedi Council beside Windu like me because of my relation to an ancient Sith Lord."
Anakin then spoke to Russo causing Nadia to go out of her thoughts.
"I think you're over exaggerating, Russo."Anakin answered."There were Jedi killed in that blast along with maintenance crew and clones. Take Ahsoka and Nadia with you. Let me and Ferus know if you two find anything."
"We will, Master."Ahsoka replied.
Nadia nodded in agreement as she followed Russo and Ahsoka while Anakin and Ferus closed their eyes to connect with the Force.
In a Medical Room...
Russo, Ahsoka and Nadia interviewed the survivors of the bomb attack.
"Did you notice anything unusual about the hangar?"Ahsoka asked.
"Not really."A pilot answered."Although, I left the hangar five minutes before the bomb exploded."
"Did everything seem okay before that?"Ahsoka asked.
"Everything seemed normal."the pilot replied."Is it true a Jedi might be responsible for the attack?"
"We're not certain of anything at this point, sir."Nadia responded with a frown."Though the distrust that we are getting is rather troubling."
"Some of these people have worked in the Temple for years."Ahsoka reminded.
"Fear makes even the most trusting individual irrational."Russo admitted.
"I think I know who did it, who blew up the hangar."the second pilot said.
Ahsoka, Nadia and Russo walked up to the second pilot.
"Who?"Nadia asked.
"I believe it was Jackar Bowmani."the second pilot responded.
"Jackar Bowmani."Ahsoka repeated."Who is Jackar?"
"One of the maintenance crew in the hangar."the second pilot answered.
"Why do you think it was him?"Nadia questioned.
"I passed him as I was going on my shift change."the second pilot explained."He had been working all morning in the section the blast came from. It was the last place I saw him."
"Is this him?"Russo asked showing the alien in his pad.
"Yes."the second pilot replied.
"I need to know, have you seen him since the explosion?"Russo asked.
"No."the second pilot responded."Truthfully, I didn't see much of anything after the explosion."
"Thank you."Ahsoka responded.
Then the three walked away from the pilot.
"Looks like we need to find Jackar Bowmani, Russo."Nadia admitted.
Then Anakin and Ferus came into the medical room.
"Did you two find anything?"Ahsoka asked.
"No, but the rumor about it being a Jedi is growing."Anakin commented.
"We can feel the anger and confusion throughout the Jedi Temple."Ferus added.
"Me, Ahsoka and Russo have a lead."Nadia admitted."We are looking for one of the Temple workers, Jackar Bowmani."
Nadia took out the disk to show an image of the culprit and gave it to Anakin.
"One of the witnesses saw him in the area where the bomb exploded right before it happened and we have not been able to find him anywhere."Russo explained.
"Come on, nobody just disappears."Anakin stated as he placed the hologram off.
"Unless it was well planned out."Russo answered.
"Well, it had to be well planned out to get past Jedi."Ferus suggested.
"We'll talk to security."Anakin stated.
Both Anakin and Ferus left the room while Ahsoka, Nadia and Russo went to talk to the rest of the survivors.
Outside the Temple...
Anakin and Ferus walked out seeing the angry protesters gathered below the stairs of the Jedi Temple while Master Cin Drallig stood nearby watching the event.
"No more clones!"
"Stop the violence!"
"End the war!"
"Stop the violence!"
Ferus shook his head at the awful sight in front of him, Anakin and Master Drallig.
"It's even worse than I imagined."Ferus commented.
"They're all family and friends?"Anakin asked.
"Yes."Cin answered."Look for answers."
"So am I, Cin."Anakin agreed and took the disk to show Jacker's face to the crowd."This is the guy who might be behind all of this! If you see him, alert us immediately!"
One of the women among the angry crowd suddenly spoke out.
"That is Jackar!"A woman called out.
"You know this man?"Ferus asked.
"He is my husband."the woman replied."I've been trying to reach him since I heard of an explosion, where is he?"
"I need you to come with us."Anakin stated.
Anakin and Ferus went to the room, where Jackar's wife Letta was.
"You have no idea where Jackar is?"Letta asked.
"No."Anakin responded.
"You are a Jedi, and you cannot find him?"Letta questioned with a frown.
"We understand your frustration."Anakin assured.
"Don't."Letta commented."Just find Jackar."
"Letta, do you think Jackar could do something like this?"Ferus asked."Blow up the Temple?"
Letta became upset at Ferus' question.
"Do you have any idea what someone has to go through to work in the Jedi Temple, hm?"Letta retorted in annoyance."Jackar dedicated his life to serving the Jedi. It had been his dream not just anyone can walk into your precious Temple, he passed all the entry tests that were needed."
"Okay, we had to ask."Anakin complemented."Unfortunately, everyone's a suspect."
"Jackar would never do anything like this."Letta assured sadly."Please, find him."
In the Hangar...
Russo, Ahsoka and Nadia were analysing the explosion as Anakin and Ferus walked up to them.
"Hmm based on the trajectory of the debris, it seems the blast came from there."Ahsoka explained.
"Why is there no bomb residue?"Russo asked.
"So you think whoever did this triggered a ship to explode?"Anakin asked.
"We think so."Nadia replied."Russo's trying to use the shrapnel to determine that now."
"The witness says he saw Jackar in the area."Ahsoka declared."Maybe Jackar planned to do this and just kept quiet."
"Or..."Ferus started.
"...it actually was a Jedi."Nadia admitted uncomfortably.
"I found something. An anomaly. Something that should not be here."Russo exclaomed as he restarted the hologram of the explosion and showed an holo-image of Nano droids."These pieces came from the blast origin, they are covered with microscopic droids of a highly volatile nature."
"Nano-droids."Anakin said.
"Yes, nano-droids."Russo agreed.
"I've read about them."Ferus commented."Nano-droids are a type of microscopic technology that could be used for following targets or as explosives."
Then the hologram of the nano-droids went off causing the lights to shine on the group.
"Great."Ahsoka mumbled."Now we're chasing nano-droids. Russo, go through security footage. Try to see if Jackar went to other parts of the Temple."
The Jedi Knight brought his attention on his companions.
"Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia, let's go find out how Jackar got his hands on these nano-droids."Anakin suggested.
Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia went to the hallway where they a few small droids checking the hologram files.
"Bowmani's file, Master Jedi."A small droid.
The small droid handed the file to Anakin.
"He's a munitions expert."Ferus admitted.
"Jackar was the foreman over all of the gunships, bombs and weapons his specialty was nano-weaponry."Anakin read.
"Fantastic."Nadia remarked sarcastically."Looks like we found our answers."
"We've got to find this guy."Ahsoka suggested.
Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia saw Russo looking at the scenes of the hangar before the explosion happened.
"Isn't that going a little too fast for you to make sense out of it?"Ferus asked.
"It is simple data."Russo replied."At this pace, I am able to view hundreds of hours of footage."
"Have you found Jackar?"Anakin asked.
"No."Russo responded.
"Me and Ferus will gather some Jedi and search the Temple."Anakin stated."If he's still here, he might be planning another attack."
"Instead of Jedi, I have droids that can do the job much faster."Russo commented.
Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia all rolled their eyes at Russo's respond as they left the room.
It turned out droids could be hypocrites as well.
Later that Evening...
"So you've found nothing so far?"Mace Windu asked.
"We have a clue we're following."Nadia responded.
"But we still don't have answers."Anakin stated.
"It is imperative that the truth be found soon."Windu said."There are whispers the Senate will have a meeting to decide whether the military police will need to become involved in the investigation."
Nadia frowned. "You're joking, right?"
"They can't do that!"Ahsoka blurted out.
"Clones died in that explosion, maintenance clones working on the gunships as well as civilians."Mace Windu reminded."The Senate tends to take notice of these things no matter where they happen."
Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia all nodded in response.
Anakin's comlink beeped causing him to answer it.
"Master Skywalker, we have found Jackar."Russo announced.
"Lock down all exits so he can't escape."Anakin ordered.
Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia then walked out of the Council Room.
Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia went to the room, where Russo was and didn't find Jackar.
"Where is he?"Anakin asked.
"Well, part of him is here."Russo replied.
"I don't think now is a good time to joke."Anakin warned.
Russo brought Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia to a table where an alien's hand lied down.
"This is all that remains of Jackar."Russo admitted.
"His hand?"Ferus said in shock.
"The rest of him exploded."Russo explained.
"Because he was so close to the bomb?"Nadia asked.
"Because he was the bomb."Russo answered.
Russo showed the group an image of the pad he held.
"What's this?"Anakin asked.
"The connection we were looking for to the explosion in the hangar."Russo said.
"The nano-droids."Ahsoka admitted in surprise."How did they get in his bloodstream?"
"Oh, this just keeps getting better and better."Anakin replied sarcastically as he folded his arms."We're going to have to search Jackar's home for evidence."
Outside...
Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia took a Eta-2 interceptor to go to Jackar's house to investigate.
"This is not the nicest place."Anakin retorted.
"I would've thought working for the Jedi paid better."Ahsoka stated.
"Apparently, not."Nadia scoffed.
Anakin knocked on the door, but there was no response causing Ferus to use the Force to open it.
Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia walked inside Jackar's house.
"Letta?"Ferus asked."Are you here?"
"You three search for the droids."Anakin ordered."But be careful and remember, he was a munitions expert. I'd rather not set off another explosion today, we'll see if he left a note."
Ahsoka and Nadia searched another part of the room while Anakin and Ferus checked the living room for clues.
The two girls then notice the pad was beeping on some left over foods.
"Master, Ferus!"Ahsoka called out.
Anakin and Ferus rushed into the kitchen.
"What is it?"Ferus asked.
"The sensors are picking up traces from the disposal."Ahsoka explained.
"The nano-droids were in the food."Nadia scowled.
"Well, I guess the question now is, did he eat them willingly or did someone feed them to him?"Anakin suggested.
Then Letta came and was shocked to see the group.
"Wh-what are you doing here?"Letta asked nervously.
"We've learned Jackar was involved in the bombing."Ferus replied.
"That can't be true."Letta denied.
"See if she has any nano-droids on her, Ahsoka."Anakin stated.
Ahsoka scanned Letta's blood with the pad.
"Nano-droids?"Letta asked.
"She's clean."Ahsoka answered.
"What do you mean, nano-droids?"Letta asked.
"We believe someone set Jackar up and made him the bomb."Nadia admitted.
"I-I don't understand."Letta said quietly.
"Letta, I want to bring you in for more questioning."Anakin commented."Maybe you can help us make sense out of all of this."
"I'll answer any question I can."Letta responded.
But when they went out of the department, Letta makes a run for it and the four Jedi follow, chasing her through the streets.
"Letta, stop!"Ferus protested.
"You two take the high road."Anakin ordered.
"Right, Master."Ahsoka replied.
Ahsoka and Nadia used the Force to leap from lantern and into the top bridge before jumping down to the deeper parts of the street.
Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia soon had Letta surrounded and blocking every attempt for her to escape in a alleyway.
"Letta, stop!"Nadia demanded.
"Let me go."Letta begged.
"Running means you know more than you're telling us."Ahsoka stated firmly.
"Jackar is dead and now you're trying to blame his murder on me!"Letta said angrily.
"Nobody ever said he was dead."Ferus admitted with a grim look.
"But running proves you had something to do with the bomb."Nadia stated coldly.
"You don't know what you're talking about!"Letta snapped.
"People blamed Jedi because of you!"Ahsoka stated."People were killed because of you!"
"Neither of you can't prove anything."Letta snarled.
"Did you feed the nano-droids to Jackar?"Anakin questioned."You will answer me now!"
Letta was silent for a brief moment before responding to the group.
"I did feed the nano-droids to Jackar."Letta answered.
"You set up your own husband to die?!"Nadia said in shock and disgust."Why would you do such a thing?!"
"You're dealing with things you don't understand."Letta replied cruelly.
"Oh, where you're going, you'll have plenty of time to explain everything."Ferus assured with a glare.
Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia then arrested Letta and took her away.
After coming back to the Jedi Temple, Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia met with Master Yoda and Mace Windu.
"We're holding Letta in the cell below the temple to await further questioning."Anakin explained.
Ahsoka then took out a holoprojector which showed her and her companions a small hologram of Russo.
"I am pleased to report there were no other nano-droids found in the sweep of the Temple."Russo stated."I am also pleased to report, based on the security footage, Jackar Bowmani acted alone which means no Jedi was involved."
Both Ahsoka and Ferus smiled at Russo's declaration while Nadia simply frowned.
"Thanks, Russo."Ahsoka remarked."Good job."
"And he previously said we were all suspects."Nadia scoffed.
"I guess that turns things a little bit positive."Ferus chuckled.
Ahsoka then placed away her holoprojector.
"Did this woman say what her reasons were for attacking us?"Mace Windu asked.
"Not yet, but we're working on that."Ahsoka replied.
"I think we can guess her motives easily enough."Mace Windu complemented."Public opinion is swaying against the Jedi that is becoming clear. This war is becoming less and less popular every day it persists."
Then Mace Windu and Master Yoda walked away from the group.
Anakin, Ferus and Nadia notice Ahsoka's troubled look.
"What's wrong, Ahsoka?"Ferus asked.
"I'm relieved we solved this case, but-"Ahsoka started.
"What if it had been a Jedi?"Anakin finished.
"Yes, I don't know how I would have felt if a Jedi was really behind this."Ahsoka stated.
"I think in this situation would've made things worse, Soka."Nadia commented and folded her arms."Then again, the Jedi Council would immediately feed that fallen Jedi to the wolves."
"There are going to be Jedi who disappoint us."Anakin stated."But as long as we know there are good Jedi who fight for what's right, it makes it all worthwhile."
Anakin, Ferus, Ahsoka and Nadia then continued walking in the hallway as the sun settled down outside the Jedi Temple.
We're getting close to the end of Season 5.
See you all in the next chapter and have a good day!