CHAPTER 30 / Infiltration
Though the flight from Dathomir to Ord Mantell was not long, the atmosphere on the Mantis had been disquieting, to say the least. Kata knew they were drawing close now and she was trying to distract herself by focusing on replacing BD-1's scomp link for him. The young Jedi hummed to herself as she worked, stopping to catch herself on the workbench as she felt the ship drop out of hyperspace. She pushed her welding goggles up and placed her tools down.
"There ya go, how's that?"
The droid tapped his right foot on the bench and did a little jig, trilling gratefully.
"You're welcome, buddy. I have a feeling you'll need it where we're going."
"brrtrrt!"
Kata looked up as she saw the unmistakable green glow of Magick pass down the length of the ship. She heard approaching footsteps and swivelled in her chair to see Teelo striding towards them.
"How we lookin'?" They asked.
"Good as new."
"boo-weeee!"
"Good, we're approaching the surface."
Kata stood and discarded her goggles on the bench, then turned to see them holding a small circular device out to her. She took it and studied it curiously.
"What's this?"
"A compact mag-pulse emitter, it can be activated remotely with this," They handed her what looked like some kind of detonator. "It'll set off a powerful EMP that'll fry all electronics in a fifteen-foot radius. Use it to destroy the central computer."
"Neat." Kata pocketed the devices.
They handed her another, even smaller gadget that had a strange shape.
"And this?"
"It's a comlink, it goes inside your ear."
"Oh. I've never seen one like this before."
"They're ISB issue, which'll allow us to piggyback off Imperial frequencies to open up a secure link."
"ISB issue? How'd you get these?" Kata eyed them suspiciously.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" They smirked.
"I would, that's why I asked."
They chuckled.
"Let's just say I know how to get my hands on this sort of tech."
"Hmm."
Kata wedged the comlink into her right ear, feeling it dampen her hearing slightly on that side. BD-1 jumped onto her back with a "bweep" and she followed Teelo out to the living area where they stopped to talk to Merrin and she continued to the cockpit. She sat down in the co-pilot's chair, noticing Cal eye her from his seat, and looked up at the planet looming before them. She thought it must've been about the same size as Coruscant, maybe bigger, though the similarities ended there.
"You ready?" Cal asked.
"As I'll ever be."
"Hey," His tone was confident. "You can do this."
She nodded at him, her face filled with determination. After all she'd faced recently, this didn't seem nearly as scary by comparison. She knew she could do this. She had to do this.
ORD MANTELL
The planet's surface was a lot more arid than Kata had been expecting, the dusty continents contrasting against its almost indigo oceans and rocky mountain ranges. They soon sped past the capital city of Worlport, its lights already shining and the buildings casting long shadows in the last rays of sunset. They headed north-west towards the coordinates Teelo had given them and it wasn't long before the Imperial base came into view. The unremarkable structure was nestled at the foot of a mountain and surrounded on all other sides by some kind of moat. Kata felt equal parts resolute and terrified at the sight of it.
She got up from her seat wordlessly and BD-1 jumped to her shoulder. Before she could leave the cockpit, Cal grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Kata..." He looked up at her, his eyes betraying his apprehension. "Watch yourself in there. Remember your training and stay focused."
"I will." She promised with a nod.
"boo-woop."
He nodded once in response and released her, and she joined Teelo and Merrin in the living area. One look at the older Nightsister's face told her how nervous she was also feeling.
"Comlink's hot," Teelo informed her. "We're good to go."
"Be careful down there, both of you," Merrin warned. "No unnecessary heroics."
"No promises." They smirked.
The Mirialukan hit the button to open the door with their fist and Kata looked down. They were hovering well above the base and she knew with Merrin's cloaking Magick, even the Empire's sensors wouldn't pick them up. She could see the moat below and quickly checked the seals on her waterproof suit. Teelo jumped first and she followed after them, sucking in a deep breath and bracing herself before she plunged into the cold water below.
She pulled out her rebreather and BD-1 flicked on his spotlight dimly to illuminate their way through the dark water. She followed Teelo closely, both of them staying low to not disturb the water's surface. Swimming had never been her favourite thing in the galaxy, and the fact they were swimming directly towards an Imperial base wasn't helping her anxiety. But if this was to be the most unpleasant part about today, she would count herself lucky.
Still, she was relieved when they finally made their way into the structure through the system of large pipes at its base and eventually broke the surface inside. She looked around quickly, observing that they were in one of the docking bays for watercraft. She couldn't see or sense anyone nearby, so she climbed out of the water quickly. She tried to stop her teeth from chattering as she wrung out her tied-back hair. Teelo was already on the move, their back to the wall next to the door, and she could tell from the way their eyes wandered that they were listening.
With a small gesture of their fingers, they motioned her over and she moved quickly but quietly to stand behind them. They held their right hand up, their body incredibly still, and she soon heard the footsteps approaching. She dared not breathe as she heard those footsteps growing louder until the doors opened. It wasn't especially bright in the room, so neither of the Imperials saw the two Jedi lying in wait as they made their way through.
Teelo stepped out from the shadows first and seized the purge trooper around the throat. Kata teleported behind the other Imperial and clamped her hand over her mouth just in time to muffle her startled yell. The Padawan looked up as Teelo grabbed hold of the trooper's helmet and she heard the terrible snap as they pulled his head to the side quickly, breaking his neck and killing him instantly. His body crumpled to the ground and they drew their blaster, pointing it at the head of the woman in Kata's grasp.
"You scream, you die, understand?" They threatened.
She nodded her head quickly and Kata withdrew her hand from her mouth, keeping her other arm wrapped around her chest tightly.
"Where's the compass?" Teelo asked.
"Th-they're keeping it in a lab in the research wing." The young engineer stammered in fear.
"Which lab?"
"I don't know."
"Think very hard."
"I-I think it's on sub-level four, but I've never been there, I-I don't have access."
"Who does?" Kata asked.
"Only the research division and the officers, th-that's it."
"If it's restricted, you'll need an access card to get down there." Teelo told Kata.
"I'll figure it out," She replied. "What can you tell us about the compass?"
"N-not much, they didn't even tell us what it was, at first. I-I know it's old and that the researchers are studying it, trying to figure out how it works, b-but so far they haven't had any luck."
Kata felt a sense of both relief and satisfaction that they hadn't managed to crack the compass' incredibly intricate technology yet. She supposed all the greatest minds in the galaxy couldn't compare to Santari Khri and Eno Cordova.
"Who's the head honcho here?" Teelo questioned.
"Commander Rourke runs the facility, h-his office is in Sector 4, near the testing lab."
Kata was mildly surprised by how little they'd had to threaten this engineer to talk so far. It seemed as though she was willing to tell them everything out of sheer terror.
"Where's security?" Kata demanded.
"Sector 2, just off the main hangar."
"What do you know about a woman named Jerserra?" Teelo asked.
"I've heard the name, but I don't know who she is or where she is. I swear, that's all I know, please don't kill me."
"It's alright," They assured. "I believe you."
"One more thing," Kata added. "I need to borrow your uniform."
"W-what?"
Kata touched all ten of her fingertips to the sides of the engineer's head and both of their eyes lit up green.
"Spati."
As soon as she spoke the word Merrin had taught her, the engineer's body began to fall, and she caught her and lowered her gently to the ground.
"What'd you do?" Teelo inquired.
"Nothing she won't sleep off," Kata assured. "C'mon, we gotta hurry."
The two Jedi swiftly shed their waterproof suits and donned the Imperial's uniforms over their dry clothes. Kata felt very strange wearing the engineer's overalls with the Imperial insignia on the shoulders. She quickly coiled up her still damp hair and pinned it beneath her hat. Teelo hid the engineer's body behind some cargo in the corner, then unceremoniously kicked the trooper's into the water with an undignified splash. The Padawan tried not to eye them strangely, their head looking very wrong sticking out of the black purge trooper armour.
"BD?"
"bwoow?"
"That's your ticket in," They pointed down to a vent next to the door. "Find your way to security, I'll meet you there."
"pwattat!"
The little droid quickly scurried off into the vent and Teelo pressed a finger to their ear.
"Stinger Two to Stinger One, you read me?"
"We hear you," Merrin affirmed. "What's your status?"
"So far, so good. We're heading into the base now, going radio silent."
"Good luck, may the Force be with you." Cal replied.
"And you."
Kata was too nervous to speak, knowing what was waiting just beyond those doors. But there was no turning back now. Teelo donned the purge trooper's helmet and attached the electrostaff to their back.
"Let's go." Their voice was distorted by the filter of the helmet.
Kata took a deep breath as they passed through the doors, down the hall and into the research base.
It was true that if you'd seen one Imperial base, you'd seen them all, and this one was no exception. The distinctive palette of white, grey and black, the cold metal interiors and the wide hallways that connected the large round rooms reminded Kata of Nova Garon. She hadn't been inside an Imperial base like this since then and the familiarity of it was eerie. She tried not to let her eyes take in the scale of the base too much, trying to keep her head down so as not to be noticed.
She stayed close to Teelo's side as they both walked casually through the base until they reached what looked like the main hangar. There were droids, Stormtroopers, engineers and other Imperial staff scattered around the large room going about their work. There were several hallways leading off of this central room and no signs that she could see. This place looked like a maze – how the hell did the people working there even navigate it? Both Jedi stopped just inside the hangar and Kata turned to Teelo as they spoke quietly.
"Ok, Sector 2's that way," They pointed to the left and Kata read the Aurebesh above the door that indicated as such. "You'll need to find the research wing and get your hands on an access card for the elevators."
"I think I can manage that."
"Keep your head down, don't look at anyone too long. I'll head to security to loop the feeds and try to locate the compass."
"Hey," Kata whispered sharply as they started to leave. "Be careful."
"You, too."
She watched them go for a moment, suddenly feeling daunted at the task ahead of her.
She did as they instructed and kept her head down as she made her way through the hangar. If that was Sector 2 on the left, then it stood to reason that was Sectors 3 and 4 next to it. Her instincts were pulling her to the right, so she followed that feeling and wove her way around the people and droids working in the space. No one seemed to even look at her twice and she was grateful for her recent experience laying low on Ferrix. She tried not to think about the fact that she was deep in enemy territory and one wrong move would mean capture or death. If it came to that, she thought she'd prefer death.
Trusting her instincts paid off as she approached Sector 7 and it definitely seemed like she was in the right place, if all the people in lab coats were anything to go by. She could see a few engineers making their way in and out of the hall, so she knew she could at least pass through without being questioned. She kept her head down but her eyes up, observing the workers' movements as she passed by – a pair of scientists walking by her conversing, an astro droid trilling to itself as it accessed a panel to her left, a purge trooper eyeing her as she passed them. She tried to push down the growing unease she felt in this place.
She rounded the corner at the end and spied a pair of elevators on the right wall. She watched as an older man in a lab coat pulled what looked like a key card from his coat pocket and used it to open an elevator and step inside. She saw the illuminated number above the other elevator ticking up and she made a split-second decision. As soon as the doors opened and a brown-haired man in a lab coat emerged through them, Kata very clumsily walked straight into him.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She apologised. "I didn't see you."
The man grumbled in annoyance.
"Then you should watch where you're going," He responded rudely. "You engineers, always with your heads in the clouds."
He continued to mutter to himself as he walked past her and she resisted the urge to make an obscene gesture at his back. Instead, she smiled smugly to herself as she held up the access card she'd swiped from his pocket. Teelo had taught her that move, being a master of sleight of hand themself, and she was surprised she'd actually managed to pull it off. She turned towards the elevator he'd just emerged from, held the card up to the scanner and stepped inside. She hit the button for sub-level four and put a finger up to her ear.
"Teelo?"
"I read you."
"I'm in the elevator on my way down to sub-level four now."
"Nice work. I'm looping the feeds now, then I'll go have a little chat with this Commander Rourke."
"Stay safe, I'll contact when I've found the compass."
"Good luck. You got this."
She took a deep, calming breath as she watched the numbers tick down. She realised she was still dressed as an engineer, which might present as a problem once she reached the restricted area. The engineer they'd accosted in the docking bay had said she didn't have access, so it stood to reason they weren't permitted on these levels. She'd have to ditch her disguise for another and quickly.
The doors opened to sub-level four and she hesitated a moment before exiting, but she couldn't sense any danger. She left the elevator swiftly and looked around for signs, quickly spying a door marked 'LAB EQUIPMENT'. She rushed toward it, hoping there was no one inside. She thanked her lucky stars when she found it was empty and quickly set about searching the space for anything she could use.
She found some lockers at the back and used the Force to pull one open, almost wanting to celebrate when she found lab coats and other protective gear inside. She changed out of her engineer's uniform and into the lab gear hastily, donning one of the face masks she'd seen others wearing to help with her anonymity. She stashed the uniform she had been wearing into the locker and shut it.
"What are you doing in here?"
Kata managed not to jump out of her skin at the sudden voice in the room and turned to see a woman in her thirties with blonde hair scowling at her.
Don't panic, Kata, She reminded herself. Act like you belong.
It was what Teelo had told her to do should she run into any trouble – act like you belong and you can banthashit your way out of anything, they'd said. She wasn't the fugitive Jedi Kata Akuna, she was an Imperial scientist here to study an artefact from the High Republic era.
"This area is restricted," The woman continued, approaching Kata. "Who are you and how did you get down here?"
Kata straightened up her posture, reached into her pocket and produced her access card.
"With this," She replied somewhat sarcastically. "I just got here, my transport was running late, as they always do."
The woman narrowed her eyes and looked her up and down.
"From which system?" Her tone was suspicious.
Kata only had a second to decide her next words.
"Naboo, Theed University."
Recognition seemed to cross the blonde woman's face.
"Ah, you must be Professor Waldon's student I've heard so much about."
Kata was glad the mask over her face hid her smirk, as she knew she had her.
"What gave me away?"
"He said you were young," The woman looked her up and down again with more scrutiny this time. "He also said you were brilliant."
"He does me a lot of credit."
"I doubt that very much. Strange that he didn't mention you'd be arriving today."
"Plans changed and I didn't have time to send word ahead."
"Well, follow me then and I'll show you to the lab."
The woman turned on her heel and Kata followed her into the hall. The Padawan was quite impressed with her own ability to lie so convincingly and also relieved that this particular scientist was gullible enough to believe her.
"Maybe you're as brilliant as Professor Waldon says if they're willing to bring a student all the way from Naboo to study the device, or maybe they're just that desperate."
Kata knew from her tone that was meant to insult her.
"Or maybe they're getting impatient with your lack of results." She shot back.
The scientist glared at her slightly.
"Stinger One to Stinger Two, we're in position," Cal's voice came through over the comlink. "Are we clear to engage the station?"
"Kata, what's your status?" Teelo asked. "Are you approaching the lab?"
"I assume you're familiar with High Republic era technologies?" The blonde woman looked down at her.
"Yes, I am." She replied to both of them.
"Good. Stinger One, you're clear to approach."
"Copy that."
Kata knew she only had a few minutes now before Cal and Merrin would destroy the power station – she had to get inside the lab and plant the device. Her escort finally approached a door and used her access card to open it. She and Kata stepped inside a laboratory, the heads of every person in the room turning at their entrance. Kata counted them: four, and her escort made five. She was suddenly very unsure how she was going to plant the device and snatch the compass right under the noses of five people. She would have to time this perfectly; there was no margin for error.
"This is the main laboratory," The blonde scientist explained. "Testing on the device is being conducted here currently as we try to determine..."
Kata had stopped listening to her as her eyes had locked on to the cylindrical device suspended in a containment field atop one of the workbenches on the other side of the room. It was one of their compasses, there was no mistaking it. It would be inaccessible unless she shut off that containment field, but the EMP device Teelo had given her should take care of that. Her goal was within reach now, but she had to stay focused.
"...This is the central computer, where we are currently storing our research on the device," The woman explained. "Any and all data must be encrypted and logged here."
Kata's eyes peeled away from the compass and she turned towards the holotable two of the other scientists were currently working on. They both eyed her a little strangely and she made sure to meet their gazes with confidence, but only for a second.
"I'll go and fetch Professor Waldon, he'll want to know you've arrived," The blonde continued. "Wait here and don't touch anything."
And with that, she turned and left the lab. Kata almost couldn't believe how easy it was to fool her into leading her in here, but there was no time to celebrate yet. The moment the Professor laid eyes on her and realised she wasn't, in fact, his student, her cover would be blown. She had to destroy the computer, retrieve the compass and leave the lab before she returned with him, and there was no telling how much time she'd have.
"You're Professor Waldon's student?"
She turned towards one of the scientists on her right, a younger man with dark hair.
"That's right." She replied evenly.
"Ah, he said you'd be arriving soon. I'm Dr. Braste, but you can just call me Haro."
"Nice to meet you."
Kata didn't risk giving him a false name, as she didn't know whether he knew what her name should have been.
"That ray of sunshine that brought you in is Niav, since I'm sure she didn't tell you that. Don't worry, she's even more insufferable once you get to know her."
Kata chuckled once, a little caught off guard that one of the scientists here on Imperial order was being nice to her. Though perhaps it was judgemental of her to assume they were all there because they supported the Empire, or even had any choice in the matter.
"C'mere, I'll show you what we've been working on." Dr. Braste offered.
Kata joined him by the holotable as he pulled up their research on the compass and took the opportunity to pull the EMP device from her pocket and attach it to the underside of the table's surface where it wouldn't be visible. She listened to Dr. Braste for a moment as he excitedly ran over what they'd learned about the compass so far, which seemed to be very little.
"Is that the device?" She nodded towards the compass.
"Yes," Dr. Braste moved towards it. "Only your dear Professor and a handful of others here are permitted direct access to it, which admittedly makes our research difficult..."
"Stinger Two, we're primed to destroy the generators," Cal's voice informed. "Kata, are you in position?"
Kata's eyes flicked to Dr. Braste, who was standing right next to her and would definitely hear her if she answered.
"Kata, if you can't talk, clear your throat to confirm." Teelo instructed.
The Padawan cleared her throat quietly.
"Affirmative, Stinger One, kill the power now."
This was it now, the moment of truth.
Kata felt her fingers tremble as she clutched the detonator in her pocket. Her eyes didn't move from the compass as she pressed the button and fried the electronics in the room. She heard a few startled exclamations and saw the containment field around the compass begin to deactivate as the room was plunged into darkness. She took advantage of the pitch black and reached out to pull the compass to her hand with the Force. The moment she felt the cylindrical object in her grasp, she teleported away.
When the lights came back up a few seconds later as the backup generators kicked in, Kata was walking up the hallway. She ripped her face mask off, feeling like she couldn't breathe. She looked down and gave a shaky exhale of relief as she saw the compass in her hand. She hid the device beneath her lab coat and hastily made her way back towards the elevators.
"I have the compass, I'm making my way back up now."
"Well done, Kata," Teelo praised. "I'll meet you in the hangar."
She couldn't believe she'd just pulled that off, but they were far from clear yet. Right on cue, the familiar alarms sounded and the lights around her began to flash red as the base alert was triggered, and Kata knew whatever business Teelo had with Commander Rourke was concluded. She hoped they'd been able to glean some useful information from him.
She pulled out her access card and slid into an elevator, punching the button for the ground floor. She forced deep breaths through her lungs the entire short ride, trying not to let her mind run wild. They were so close now, she had to stay focused. The elevator doors opened to four Stormtroopers standing in the hall, their blasters at the ready.
"There she is, blast her!"
Out of pure instinct, Kata drew Amai's lightsaber that had been concealed beneath her disguise and ignited it. She got the blue blade up just in time to deflect their fire, and within seconds, all four of them lay dead on the ground. She knew that once the scientists in the lab realised she and the compass were gone they'd raise the alarm, but she hadn't expected them to react quite that quickly.
"Teelo, I've been made! Where are you?!"
No response, only static on the line.
"Shit!"
More Stormtroopers turned to face her as she sprinted down the hall and she cut them down with ease. Scientists and engineers were running from her in fear and she let them run, having no desire to kill unarmed innocents. She was soon approaching the door where the hall met the main hangar and she wondered where the hell Teelo and BD-1 were and hoped they were ok. As she reached the door, a purge trooper appeared through it and she was about to strike when they held out their right hand to her and she noticed they were holding their electrostaff in their left.
"Aren't you a little tall for a purge trooper?" She teased.
Even with the helmet on, Kata could almost see the shit-eating grin on their face.
"BD's not with you?" Teelo's distorted voice asked.
"I thought he was with you."
Both of their heads turned as they heard the familiar pitter-patter of metal feet and the droid in question popped out of a vent.
"brrloop?"
"There you are!" Kata greeted with relief.
"boop-bweep!"
"C'mon, we gotta go."
Teelo led the way and Kata held out her arm for BD-1, stowing her weapon as she followed them into the hangar. With a 'purge trooper' as her escort, the people they ran past were now ignoring them, allowing them to use the chaos to make their way back towards the docking bays. They reached the door only to find that it was locked. Teelo pulled an access card and scanned it, making a frustrated sound when the door didn't open.
"Dank farrick, the base alert must've locked it down."
"Is there another way?"
"Yeah, this way."
They led her back across the main hangar, moving with the chaos now instead of against it. They headed through the door marked "SECTOR 4", which she remembered to be the direction of the Commander's office. A group of Stormtroopers rounded the corner, stopping to block their path, and the two Jedi drew their weapons.
"We don't have time for this." Teelo muttered.
Kata eyed them for a second, noticing that they seemed agitated. She put it from her mind for now as they charged forward and the two of them made short work of the obstacle in their way. No sooner had they dispatched the troopers than a familiar green flash saw Merrin appear before them and immediately move to strike.
"It's me!" Teelo warned quickly before she could attack.
"Thank the stars." She exhaled as she laid eyes on the two of them.
"Merrin, what're you doing here?!" Kata demanded.
"You were not answering your comms, we were worried."
Kata stepped forward, pulling the compass from beneath her lab coat and handing it to the older Nightsister.
"Take this back to the Mantis and bring the ship around, we'll..."
Kata stopped mid-sentence as a powerful and intense feeling washed over her suddenly. A familiar feeling of dread, of danger. Every cell in her body screamed at her, warning her of the threat, and she allowed instinct to take over. She turned and ignited her borrowed saber just in time to meet the red blade that came crashing down out of nowhere – the blade that had clearly been intended to strike Merrin.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Teelo swing their own weapon at their adversary, white blade whirring through the empty air as she disappeared in a cloud of green mist, reappearing at the end of the hall before them. Kata locked eyes with her, stepping in front of Merrin protectively and Teelo stood level with her.
"Is that her?"
Their question was clearly directed at Kata and her eyes narrowed at the figure at the end of the hall in recognition and anger. She stood, wielding her obviously retrieved Inquisitor's saber once more. Same brown leathers, same white braid of hair, but now instead of a silver mask, a black blindfold was tied around her head, burn marks clearly visible on her face.
Kata knew that had the Nightsister still had eyes, they would be glaring right at her.
"It's her."
She had barely uttered the confirmation before she heard Merrin's advancing footsteps, and she turned swiftly to stop her.
"Merrin, don't!"
The Nightsister didn't look at her, her murderous gaze fixed on Jerserra. Kata knew how badly she must've wanted to pay her back for what she'd done to Cal, but now was not the time to indulge her need for vengeance. Kata gripped her arm in a bid to get her attention.
"You have the compass," She reminded. "Get it back to the ship, we'll hold her off."
Merrin finally looked down at her, alarm clear on her face, but before she could protest, Teelo cut her off.
"She's right, get back to the Mantis," They backed her up, their helmet now discarded. "We can handle this."
Merrin's eyes darted from Teelo to Kata to Jerserra, obviously warring with herself on the inside. She hesitated several moments more, giving one last glare at Jerserra, before she finally started to back away.
"Do not die!" She instructed before disappearing in a green flash.
The two Jedi, now left alone, turned to face their adversary and Kata saw a second red blade appear as she began to stalk slowly towards them.
She had no way of knowing how much of a threat the Nightsister still posed without her sight. For all she knew, it could've made her more dangerous. The last time they'd clashed, she'd broken her hand and scarred her face. But this time Kata wasn't alone, and Jerserra was. She glanced at the Jedi Master beside her as they also ignited their second blade, blue eyes sharply focused on the Nightsister. From the outside they appeared calm, but Kata could feel the unsettling air of hatred and rage that surrounded them.
She understood why – this woman had almost taken everything from them. Stolen their body and invaded their mind to sow mayhem, death and distrust. She could see how much they wanted to destroy her, she could feel it. Her gaze turned back to Jerserra and she remembered the last time she'd faced her. How she'd used her knowledge to sow doubt in her mind, to get inside her head and fill it with deceit. She remembered how it felt, the creeping feeling of her words poisoning her mind. She thought about her doing that to Teelo, of her harming them the way she had Cal, and it was unconscionable.
She wouldn't let her hurt them. She wouldn't let her hurt anyone again.
Without thinking about what she was doing, the Padawan stowed her weapon and drew in a sharp breath. She reached out towards the Nightsister with her right hand and closed her eyes, green tendrils of Magick flowing from her fingertips.
"Kata?"
Teelo's voice was muffled to her as she gripped Jerserra's mind with the Force. The Nightsister halted her advance and when Kata opened her eyes again, they were glowing green. She saw Jerserra take a stumbled step, her expression hard to read with half her face hidden. Kata kept her focus, and when she opened her mouth to speak, her voice was doubled in an unnatural way.
"You are the abomination – a traitor to your own kind. Your mother, your sisters, they curse you from their graves!"
Jerserra had begun to falter, gripping her head with one hand, the other still tightly clasping her saber. The Magick surrounding Kata's hand grew more intense as she delved deeper.
"Kata, what're you doing?"
She could hear the worry in Teelo's voice, but she ignored them.
"You are weak! Pathetic! Unworthy! You have betrayed everything you once were!"
The Nightsister dropped her saber and clutched her head at the unseen force ripping its way through her mind. She began to call out and fall to her knees.
"Kata, you have to stop!"
"bwa-doop!"
Barely able to hear their worried voices now, she persisted. She pushed deeper, searching for a way to hurt her, to strip her away until there was nothing left. She could feel the dark energy pulsing through her, could hear it whisper, willing her to continue.
"You are no Nightsister... you are no Inquisitor..."
Jerserra struggled against the force of Kata's Magick, crying out in pain, writhing.
"... You are nothing!"
She let out a blood-chilling scream that reminded Kata of when she'd burned out her eyes, and a small smirk pulled at her lips.
"Kata, stop!"
She felt something grab her left arm and without thinking, she instinctively used the Force to push the threat back. Her focus finally broke and she snapped back to awareness as she saw Teelo hit the wall to her left, falling to their hands and knees from the force. Kata's blood ran cold as she realised what she'd done. She released Jerserra and rushed towards them.
"I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?!"
"boo-woo?"
"I'm ok." They assured them both, holding up a hand.
They started to stand and Kata helped them. They didn't seem to be harmed, but definitely looked shaken and she felt terrible.
"What the hell did you do?" They demanded, making eye contact with her.
Kata looked back towards the Nightsister, now barely moving on the ground, hands over her ears which seemed to be bleeding. Kata could hear her small whimpers as she cried.
"I-I don't know." She admitted.
She couldn't take her eyes off of Jerserra, of what she had made of her, or unmade. The idea that that power had come from her was terrifying. She looked down at her hands and they were trembling. She could still feel it there, those dark whispers, as she had after using her power on the Fifth Brother. She shut her eyes tightly, willing the whispers to fade.
What had she done?
The sound of approaching troopers reminded her of where they were and the imminent danger they were still in.
"We have to get outta here, Kata." Teelo reminded.
"brrrllp!"
"Right..." Her response was barely a whisper.
The two of them hurried past Jerserra, still curled up on the floor. Kata peeled her eyes away, not daring to look back as she followed Teelo listlessly to the exit. She felt numb the whole time, her mind still not having caught up with her body. It wasn't until she felt the cold night air on her face that she finally started to return to herself. She looked up at the stars, the galaxy stretching across the dark sky anchoring her back in reality.
She ducked in fear as she heard blaster fire from behind them, seeing the red lasers fly past. She ignited Amai's saber and turned to deflect the blaster fire at the same time Teelo did.
"Where are they?!" Teelo asked.
Kata only now realised the Mantis wasn't waiting for them and a sinking feeling gripped her. It was short-lived, though, as they took down the Imps shooting at them and turned as the ship uncloaked right before their eyes, hovering above the walkway. Her feet immediately began carrying her towards it and soon more blaster fire was cutting through the air around them.
"Keep going, get to the ship!" Teelo shouted as they stopped.
She decided it was best she did as she was told and sprinted towards the Mantis. The door opened to reveal Merrin and the boarding ramp extended.
"Come on!" She shouted with a gesture of her arm.
Kata put her head down and literally ran for her life towards her, jumping up onto the ramp and losing her footing a bit, but Merrin caught her before she could fall. Kata looked up at her, relieved beyond words, but it only lasted a moment as she turned to see Teelo alone on the walkway, still deflecting the Empire's fire.
"Teelo!" She shouted at them.
They kept retreating backwards towards the ship, still spinning their saber until the remaining Imps finally fell. They sheathed their weapon quickly and sprinted towards them. Kata held onto the doorframe and stood on the ramp and Merrin kept her hand on her arm for safety. Just as Teelo was drawing close, Kata saw another group of Imps emerging from the doorway behind them.
"Hurry, they're coming!"
Teelo used the Force to dash forwards at immense speed and jumped up towards the ship right as the Stormtroopers opened fire. Kata and Merrin caught them by their arms as they landed safely on the ramp, only for them to cry out in pain and fall through the door into the ship.
"Teelo?!" Merrin and Kata's worried voices exclaimed in unison.
They were on their hands and knees gasping in pain, clutching their right side and Kata could see the unmistakable orange glow of a blaster wound. She rushed to the floor beside them and Merrin slammed the button to close the door, avoiding the blaster fire that was still coming through and striking the other side of the ship.
"Teelo, are you alright?" Merrin asked, kneeling down to help them.
"boo-woop?!"
"Everyone ok?!" Cal called from his seat in the cockpit.
"Just get us out of here, Cal!" Merrin shouted back.
Kata felt the ship accelerate as Cal did just that. Teelo groaned as they shuffled towards the far wall and turned themself around to sit back against it, exclaiming in pain through gritted teeth.
"Are you ok?" Kata asked, her voice shaking.
"Yeah, I think so."
BD-1 hopped down from Kata's back and stood by their leg, scanning them to inspect their injuries. Kata's eyes darted over their body and she was reassured at least to see that nothing appeared to be bleeding, yet. They were holding their right side with one hand and their left bicep with the other, and she could see another blaster mark on their right arm just below their elbow.
"Let me see." Merrin requested.
Teelo moved their hands aside so she could inspect their wounds.
"They are not too deep." She assessed.
Kata sighed with great relief realising that they weren't seriously hurt. Three shots, three blaster bolts had hit them, and all three seemed to have just grazed them. She couldn't believe how lucky they'd gotten.
"You scared the hell outta me." Her voice shook.
"Good thing Stormtroopers can't aim for shit, right?" They joked through their pain.
She almost grinned at them, but her relief turned to confusion and alarm as they all heard and felt a massive explosion far too close to them. It was such a forceful blast it jolted the ship.
"What the hell was that?!" Merrin exclaimed.
Kata got to her feet and hurried into the cockpit, staring out the shield as Cal was at the enormous fireball that had engulfed the Imperial base she and Teelo had been standing in not minutes before. She watched as the building collapsed and the moat began to rush in and flood the site. She was confused, in shock, unable to process what was happening.
"The base..." Cal turned towards the others. "It's gone."
"What?" Teelo demanded.
Kata continued to stare, dumbfounded, until Cal pulled the ship away, swiftly punching in coordinates. She managed to come back to reality enough to sit down before he threw the hyperdrive lever, the stars streaking by as they lurched into hyperspace. He was immediately on his feet and she followed him into the living area, his brow furrowing in worry when he saw Teelo on the ground.
"Teelo, you ok?"
"I'm good, Cal."
They groaned, pulling their hand away from the wound on their left bicep briefly and Kata could see a small amount of blood on their hand.
"Hurts like hell, though."
"You are one lucky son of a gundark, you know that?"
"Yeah, help me up."
Teelo reached out their hand and Cal took it, hauling the Mirialukan to their feet with a groan from them. He put their arm around his shoulders and led them to the back of the ship. Kata watched them go and exhaled as it began to dawn on her that it was over. Not only had they successfully retrieved the compass, but if Jerserra had still been in the base when it blew...
"I am going to scan the ship, make sure they are not tracking us." Merrin stated.
"Yeah, good idea."
"I will need your help, BD."
Merrin walked towards the holoprojector and BD-1 hesitated next to Kata.
"bwoop?"
"I'm good, buddy." She assured with a nod.
"boo-bweep."
He trotted off after Merrin and Kata looked down at her hands to see they were still shaking. She shut her eyes tightly and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. So much had happened so quickly and she couldn't begin to process any of it. She stood frozen for a moment, unsure what to do, before she decided to check in on Cal and Teelo. She headed to the back of the ship and walked into their room, only to stop when she noticed Teelo sitting on the bunk without a shirt.
"Hey, are you—oh," She started to back out again as she realised. "Sorry, I um..."
"It's alright, Kata." They assured her.
She took a couple tentative steps into the room, standing awkwardly by the doorway. Cal had the trauma kit open on the bunk next to Teelo and was sifting through it looking for something.
"You ok?" She asked them again.
They smiled reservedly.
"I've had worse."
Kata nodded and her eyes that she had been keeping fixed on their face were drawn down to their right arm. The skin that was usually covered by their armoured sleeve was exposed and she suddenly understood the reason for it. The green tone of their skin was marred by dark, uneven patterns of scarring. Their entire right arm, shoulder and right side of their chest and torso down to their waist were covered in what looked like burn scars.
She couldn't help her eyes widening at what she saw. The scarring looked old, from what she could tell, and whatever happened to them must've been traumatic. She'd noticed some on their chest before, peeking out from beneath their collar. And, of course, she'd seen their hand before, and their two smallest fingers that were both missing from below the first knuckle, but she'd known better than to ask. She'd had no idea they'd suffered an injury like this.
"Are you ok?" They asked.
Kata's eyes snapped back to theirs, feeling guilty for staring.
"Yeah, I'm good." She assured.
"You sure?"
She simply nodded in response, understanding they weren't just asking about her physical well-being.
"I'm sorry you got hurt protecting me."
"Well, that's what you do for family; you protect them, even if it means getting hurt."
Kata gave them a sheepish smile, grateful they held their tongue in front of Cal. She knew they would have to have a conversation about what happened, but right now wasn't the time. Teelo looked up at her, their expression unreadable and they exchanged a short but uncomfortable stare.
Mercifully, Merrin sidled into the room with BD-1 in tow and interrupted the growing tension.
"What is the verdict, will they live?" She asked teasingly.
"I think so." Cal replied.
"Good. But we have a problem," Everyone's heads turned towards her and she continued. "BD has discovered a tracking device on our hull. We will need to land somewhere and remove it."
"That's why I plotted a course to Ansion," Cal informed. "I figured they might try that. We'll land, remove it, and by the time they track it there, we'll be long gone."
"prrtat!"
Merrin nodded, then turned to Kata.
"Jerserra?"
Everyone's attention was on the Padawan, now. She tried her best to keep her expression level.
"She was still in the base when..."
She trailed off, still not able to fathom what'd happened.
"You are certain she—"
"She wasn't gettin' up again," Teelo interjected. "We made sure of that."
Kata was, again, incredibly grateful to them for saying "we". They were covering for her big time and she knew it.
"Good."
"What the hell happened?" Kata asked. "Why did the base just go up like that?"
"Must've been some kind of fail-safe," Teelo offered. "A contingency measure, so the compass and their research wouldn't fall into someone else's hands."
"One hell of a contingency measure." Cal mused.
"All those people..." Kata lamented.
"Everyone's expendable to the Empire." Teelo reminded.
Kata nodded, knowing they were right. She hadn't thought even them capable of something like that, but now she realised that was naive. The Empire would stop at nothing to maintain their absolute control - they weren't above murdering people by the thousands.
Cal pressed a bacta pad to the wound on Teelo's right side, causing their face to contort and a low groan to escape their mouth.
"You big baby." Cal teased.
"If you hadn't been impaled recently, I'd tell you to fuck off." They retorted.
Cal chuckled at their response, not bothering to berate them for their language. Kata shuffled on the spot awkwardly.
"I'm gonna go man the ship, I'll let you know when we're approaching Ansion."
She quickly retreated from the room and Merrin's brows pushed together, alarmed by her odd behaviour. The Nightsister followed her into the living room.
"Kata."
The Padawan stopped and steeled herself before turning.
"Are you alright?" Merrin asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Kata's eyes shifted to the floor, then back to hers as she said this. Merrin straightened up, her eyes looking down disapprovingly at the young Jedi.
"Do you know something?"
"What?"
"You can lie straight to Cal's face without blinking, but not to mine. You always look at the ground when you lie to me."
Kata's eyes shifted again to the ground, unable to meet Merrin's gaze.
"Again, but the truth this time."
The young Jedi hesitated, then sighed in defeat, looking back up at her mentor.
"I did something back there, to Jerserra," She admitted. "Something I didn't know I could do, something I shouldn't have done... and it scared me."
Her brown eyes locked with Merrin's and the older Nightsister could see the fear in them.
"Did you feel in control of your power?" She asked.
It was an unexpected question and it pulled Kata up short.
"At first, but then... it felt more like it was controlling me."
"Do you feel in control now?"
"Yes."
"Good. The next time you decide to experiment with your abilities, maintain that control," She warned sternly. "The moment you cease to be in control of your power, you begin to lose yourself to it."
"Yes, Merrin." Kata nodded.
Her stern expression softened as she saw Kata's eyes wander the floor. The young Jedi had been through much recently and she did not want to be too hard on her. She stepped forward and laid a reassuring hand on the Padawan's shoulder.
"Are you alright?" She asked again.
"We got the compass back. I'll be alright when we're home safe and all of this is over."
"We will be home soon, Kata, thanks to you."
Kata smiled and Merrin jerked her head towards the cockpit.
"Go on."
The young Nightsister turned and made her way into the cockpit. She sat down in the pilot's seat and pulled her knees up, putting her arms around them. She watched the blue patterns of hyperspace dance in front of her through the blast shield and sighed contentedly.
"wooo?"
Kata turned her head towards the little two-legged droid standing in the middle of the cockpit and she motioned with her head for him to join her. He hopped up into the co-pilot's seat then leapt across to the control panel in front of her.
"bwoow?"
"I was just thinking about Tanalorr. A part of me can't wait to go back, but... another part of me wants to fly far away and never return."
"boo-bweep?"
"Yeah, I'm ok. I'm sorry about what happened back there. I... lost myself for a moment."
"brrrllp-woop."
"Thanks for always having my back, BD."
"myam-wam!"
Kata smiled at the droid.
"You're right. I couldn't've done this without you, buddy. Thank you."
"woo-wa-woop."
Kata smiled wider and reached up to pet the droid's head. She was grateful for his constant companionship, especially in the moments when she'd felt most alone. Now she understood why he and Cal had such a strong bond that transcended their human-droid divide. BD-1 wasn't just any droid, he was special – he was family.
"Yeah, I believe in you, too."