Chapter 19

(1500H. Hour 24 of 36)

As Vindi's footsteps drew closer and closer, Jaina pressed herself up firmly against the cage, pinched her nose, and held her breath—both to keep silent, and to save herself from the stench of the womp rat corpses.

How long would it be until the bioweapon scientist spotted her? Until she ended up as one of his Force-forsaken 'human specimens'?!

She reached out with her senses, feeling the Force around her—feeling all of the organic beings nearby.

She could feel Dr. Vindi's presence: eager, suspicious, and irritated, just a few steps away, the monster still searching for the thief—

Calm.

Jaina blew out a slow exhale, extending her senses towards the small bird cage on the opposite end of the room. She used the Force to give a light nudge, toppling it over.

The Padawan then heard Dr. Vindi's feet still as the birdcage fell with a metallic crash, the shattered remains of the specimens scattering across the lab floor.

"What the—?!" The scientist whirled around and hurried to the other end of the room.

Jaina quickly took advantage of the distraction, scrambling out from underneath the cage and hurrying towards the connecting door that led to Room 17C.

She dashed through, hastily sealing the door behind her just as Vindi rounded the corner, muttering angrily under his breath at the mess.

The Padawan let out a shaky sigh of relief, leaning back against the door, and finally taking a slow inhale.

That had been far too close.

This must've been why Master Obi-Wan insisted on no deviations.

She glanced around at the tiny chamber she had found herself in, a Decontamination Chamber of some sorts, with various buttons on a panel on the opposite door.

Jaina paused, her hands hovering over the panel. She quickly pulled out the access card her Master had given her from her pocket.

As soon as she slipped it into the scanner, her heart sank into the pit of her stomach.

The door slid open to the sight of a row of seven tall, square, transparisteel pods, filled with…humans.

Her stomach churned sickeningly, and she felt the blood completely drain from her face as a rush of shock and horror raced through her.

She had always been used to fighting droids.

She had trained to fight droids.

But there were people here—innocent, civilian humans of different ages and genders—all in the hands of the Separatists…all unconscious, helpless, and alone.

Jaina stumbled towards the nearest trash receptacle, just barely reaching it before she retched what little contents her stomach had.

Her head spun with nausea, and she grasped the side of the bin for support, panting lightly as her breath came in short, shaky gasps.

Pull it together. Pull it together.

She took in a few steadying breaths, forcing the bile back down her throat, swallowing it forcibly as she fought to shove the sick feeling away. She had to stay focused on the mission. She was here for a reason.

But now…there had to be a way to get these people out of here too.

Jaina shakily pushed herself back up to her feet, tearing her gaze away from the small pods and instead turning to face the glass cabinets that lined the opposite wall, all filled with different sizes of a metallic alloy in cubed form.

She slowly stepped towards them, her eyes locked on the strange material inside. It was some kind of unknown element…at least, one she'd never seen before.

Her mind raced as she tried to come up with some kind of possible explanation…but the only answer seemed to be that the Separatists were somehow using this strange mineral on the people, causing the illness.

The slow, weak beeping noises of each pod's life support system and vitals monitoring devices continued to hum in the background.

Her heart sank even further at the implications, until her lips pressed tightly together, hardened with urgency.

She needed to get out of here—and get this information back to the Republic.

Jaina slowly began to pace along the line of cabinets, each of them filled to the brim with the same strange mineral, all of them labeled with various codes and symbols…numbers, letters, diagrams.

She picked up the topmost folder of a nearby stack and opened the file. "Damotite…" she murmured out loud.

As in…the mineral used in plasma refineries?

She placed the file back in its stack, grabbing the next one and quickly skimming through: "Test batch 124a, test batch 124b, test batch…"

Her eyes widened as she saw the heading of the next file, and she quickly flipped open that tab, her gaze instantly fixed on the diagram and words. "K-497…Damotite alloy…"

Effect of alloy on organic specimens. Test 124a: 10% refinement. Test 124b: 15% refinement. Test 124c: 20% refinement.

Her mouth went dry as she looked at the notes, the diagrams. They had tested this new alloy on people.

She quickly turned the page, flipping through diagrams of microscopic cellular structures being attacked and degraded by the mineral, and the drastic effects on the degradation of the specimen immune systems.

Oh, Force—

As she looked up, her gaze froze on the pod right in front of her: an elderly man, his wrinkled face twisted in an expression of pain…yet completely slumbering.

Her heart ached as she stepped closer, placing a hand against the transparisteel, the man's ragged breathing against his oxygen mask the only sound in the deafening silence of the room. Her gaze flicked to the readout on the life support system just above the pod…15% Refinement.

Jaina's hand lowered towards the computer terminal attached to the pod. There had to be some way to free this poor man. And if she figured out how to open one pod, then surely she'd be able to open all the others.

Quickly, she began to type on the keypad, attempting to navigate the system.

But to her frustration, most of the files and options were locked, only allowing access to a few, restricted data categories. Patient vitals…blood toxicity…health diagnosis…vitals monitoring…

She sighed under her breath, hitting the access keys for each category.

Nothing.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps out in the hallway—heavy, metallic footsteps—and loud, booming voices.

Her eyes went wide as she turned from the pod, quickly darting towards an alcove in the wall, mostly hidden by thick tubes and pipelines with a crate of medical supplies.

She extended a hand, using the Force to summon a small cube of a Damotite sample into her open palm.

Jaina slipped the sample into a pocket on her belt, next to the vial of the mysterious blue substance from Vindi's lab.

The Padawan ducked low behind the pipes in the cover of darkness, keeping herself as still and as silent as possible. She watched through a small crack between the crate and the pipes as three scientists—covered head to toe in some sort of hazmat suit—entered.

"Scan each pod, Doctor Follar."

The second scientist nodded, stepping closer to the pod, while the other two walked towards the terminals at the end of the room.

Jaina's mind raced. There had to be some way she could get out of here…and free each innocent life in this room.

"Wouldn't it be more prudent to test these alloys on other races as well?" The younger scientist questioned. "I understand Dr. Fhernan's logic, but what if we are never able to acquire DNA samples from Kamino? The Republic lines are impenetrable after all. Then there would be no point in—"

Jaina's grip on the pipes tightened as she watched, her jaw dropping slightly. Kamino?!

"We must not question the Doctor," the elder scientist scolded. "Your insistence for diversifying this project is becoming rather a nuisance, Doctor Jall. Besides, even if we are unable to genetically alter our formulas, at least we know that they are effective against humans either way."

Jaina glanced downwards, pulling her datapad from her jumpsuit pocket and glancing at the ongoing file transfer from the facility mainframes.

51.60%.

She was in way over her head.

She'd disobeyed her Master enough, and deviated from his original orders by straying too far from the data repository. She couldn't risk sacrificing all the data she already had collected. She couldn't risk sacrificing all the information she'd heard.

She needed his guidance. His decision. This was…too much.

They needed to get back to the Republic.

Spotting the three scientists preoccupied by the pods, their peripheral vision limited by the helmets of their hazmat suits, Jaina slowly crouched and crawled towards the door that led back into the main hallway.

As she reached the exit, she carefully, silently, pulled herself up and immediately hurried out the lab, moving so fast that she bumped into—

—the sudden thump of the collision startled the Padawan for a brief moment, and she nearly fell to the ground.

Jaina felt her heart momentarily skip a beat, as her body froze, and she found herself staring up directly at a female scientist carrying a stack of datapads.

The scientist's eyes narrowed. "Miss, this area is restricted."

"My-my apologies, I seem to have gotten lost, I was-I was merely searching for my father, Engineer Deshar," Jaina stuttered smoothly in a lie, maintaining her cover and feigning a childlike, frightened look. "I'll-I'll head back to our quarters instead…"

The scientist seemed, for the most part, not at all impressed.

She continued to glare down at the disguised Jedi Padawan in the light blue jumpsuit and disheveled pigtails, silently taking in her form—clearly an innocent child, if a bit more petite, thin, and short than most humans her age. This child did not look like a threat…but she was also not where she should have been.

The scientist placed the datapads under one arm, crossing the other across her chest as she continued to glare at the girl.

"I'll have to escort you to him then," she said sternly. "He wouldn't want you walking the halls without someone making sure you were safe. There are protocols that must be followed."

"Oh no no, I'll be fine, I insist, Doctor..." Jaina paused, reading at the scientist's name-plate beneath her hazmat suit. "Doctor Fhernan."

Fhernan pursed her lips. "Nonsense. I'm going to walk you back personally," she said firmly, holding her glare. "The safety of non-personnel workers is a high priority. This is a restricted area. I am afraid I must inform your father of your disobedience myself."

The scientist grabbed her by the arm, firmly but cautiously, and began guiding her down the hallway, back towards the direction of the offices.

As they walked together, their footsteps the only sound in the quiet and pristine halls of the facility, Fhernan's grip on Jaina's arm remained steadfast. After a few moments of silence, the scientist looked over at her, checking to watch her expression.

Jaina maintained her composure and innocent demeanor, offering another small, polite smile up.

Doctor Fhernan eventually knocked twice on the door to a conference room, before opening it—where Obi-Wan stood, mid-meeting with General Durd, Doctor Vindi, and other Lanteeb Facility leadership.

Jaina sighed inwardly. This was going great.

Fhernan pushed her towards the door—prompting the disguised Jedi Master to turn, his gaze falling on his Padawan. His expression darkened ever-so-subtly at her unexpected arrival, and at the scientist's hand tightly clutching her arm.

General Durd looked up at the newcomers, his eyes scanning over the young girl.

Jaina was keeping herself composed, but Obi-Wan could see the slight tremble in her eyes, the way her lips were tightly pursed together, as she tried frantically to control her breathing.

He didn't even need the Force to sense his little one's growing anxiety.

"...I'm…I'm sorry, Father ," Jaina muttered, all her efforts going into keeping her cover intact. Her mind worked furiously. "I…uh…got a little lost, trying to find you…I was…wondering if you…wanted to….uh…grab some early dinner…"

His little Padawan was quick-witted like no other…but she was also easily flustered.

Obi-Wan sighed. The tremors were barely visible to the naked eye, and he could sense the hint of unease in her eyes, so subtle and quick to fade that it would have passed as nothing more than a trick of the light to anyone else.

But not to him.

Her excuse was believable as far as he was concerned; it would explain why she was in this area of the facility, and give him reason enough to act as a concerned parent.

The Jedi Master cleared his throat, injecting a hint of sullenness into his features—playing his own part well, as a father displeased with his daughter.

"And where exactly were you?" he asked, keeping his voice cool and stern. It would be enough to be believable, but not enough to provoke more scrutiny. "I thought I told you to remain in our quarters until I returned?"

"Dad…please…" Jaina insisted, attempting to convey the urgency as inconspicuously as she could, especially with Separatist leadership in the room—their cover had to remain intact.

But how could she communicate without words—

"I—I…" she paused, feigning distress in her eyes. "I've been…missing Mom…"

Oh Force, if only Padawan training included learning how to cry on cue.

Obi-Wan took in a slow breath, keeping himself calm, keeping his persona up.

General Durd was watching the exchange with raised eyebrows, Dr. Vindi with a scowl, and the Jedi Master could see Dr. Fhernan's glare relax a little at Jaina's soft, pained voice.

He shifted his weight slightly, his mind working out how best to proceed as he stared at his 'daughter', the room silent and tense around them. He knew how nervous his little one must've been feeling—in the middle of a crisis, behind enemy lines, with everyone scrutinizing their every little move.

But he also knew that his little Padawan never did or said anything without reason.

He knew her well….and with the excuse she'd given, he had to respond appropriately.

"Come here, darling." The undercover Jedi Master stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and embracing her as the Separatist leaders watched.

Jaina seized the opportunity and tiptoed. "…cover…almost blown…" She whispered shakily into his ear, ensuring that it would not be audible to anyone else.

"I know," Obi-Wan whispered back.

He pulled away and looked over at Dr. Vindi and General Durd once more. "She's been going through a difficult time recently, with everything that happened after losing her mother," he explained. "I'd like to take her for a walk. I shall return shortly."

Dr. Vindi simply scoffed. "Your daughter is not a priority, Deshar," he said, his voice sharp. "Your duties are crucial here. You shall stay."

Obi-Wan tensed, but remained composed. "This will not take too long, I assure you."

General Durd waved a hand. "One hour, no more," he drawled. "Rest assured, this will be taken out of your lunch break tomorrow."

"That is more than sufficient," Obi-Wan shot back. "I shall be back in half the time."

Durd nodded, waving a hand once more. "Very well."

(1630H. Hour 25 of 36)

The Jedi Master kept his stride strong and steady as he led her out of the conference room. "Do not speak," he whispered curtly as he led her down the hallway, walking through the facility and making various turns, ensuring the two were not followed.

Obi-Wan paused at a nearby maintenance closet and gently ushered her in, closing the door behind her. He took out his datapad and activated the scrambling systems, ensuring that any security cameras or listening devices within the vicinity were temporarily disabled.

"All right, we're clear." He let out a heavy sigh, and his expression softened as he took in her anxious state. He was concerned for her, but he was also frustrated.

"What in the blazes were you thinking?" he whispered gruffly. "You explicitly disobeyed my orders—I told you to remain in our quarters and oversee the file transmission! You could have blown our cover!"

She looked so small standing there, facing his disapproval and chiding, her small frame trembling slightly beneath the light blue jumpsuit she wore.

It almost made him want to soften his words.

Almost.

"We have to leave," Jaina squeaked. "Now."

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. "Leave?" he repeated. "What do you mean, leave?"

Yes, there was an underlying sense of urgency in her voice, one that he felt in her Force signature, but… leave?

"Jaina, we still have eleven hours left in our mission window. Have you finished extracting all the files on the mainframe already?"

He paused, watching her silently wring at her fingers, her gaze lowering to the floor. "…You haven't, have you…?" he said, his eyes narrowing. "How far did you get?"

Jaina sighed softly, pulling her datapad out of her pocket, glancing at the ongoing progress bar, and closing her eyes in a wince. "…59.34%."

Obi-Wan groaned as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "59.34%?!" he repeated, his voice sharp. "You've only extracted half of what's on the mainframe, and you want us to leave now? Padawan, you will tell me what is going on!"

"I—" Jaina choked out, swiftly swallowing the lump in her throat. "I was going through the files I'd already extracted and—and I saw—I saw that they had a prototype for a new weapon—the Defoliator—capable of incinerating all organic matter but leaving metallic alloys untouched—just down the hallway from the data repository—so I—I tried to get more intel—I—I snuck into the lab and—"

Obi-Wan's expression hardened. He took a step closer to her, towering over her small frame, his voice filled with a mix of anger and concern.

"You did what?!" he demanded. "You were supposed to remain either in our quarters, or in the data repository! You were not supposed to leave; you most certainly were not supposed to go into the labs. I gave you explicit instructions!"

"I know, I'm sorry! But that's not all!" Jaina added frantically. "It works, Master, it works—the Defoliator completely incinerated an entire biome of plants! And—and right next door—Vindi was developing something else—some sort of—some sort of disease out of these—these blue plants I've never seen before—I think it's—I think it's called Project: Blue, and—"

Obi-Wan's frown deepened. A new weapon—one that could completely destroy organic matter—and a disease developed from an unknown blue plant?

This was bad.

"A disease?" he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "That would explain it. The schematics they were commissioning me—or rather, Engineer Deshar—to refine were all related to launching bio agents into different atmospheric conditions. And potentially into munitions."

"What kind of disease was it, Jaina?"

"I-I don't know, it's still liquid as of the moment—they were injecting it into womp rats and it—it—it turned their veins blue—then they—just started writhing around—until they—they—they—died—" Jaina muttered anxiously, taking the vial out of her belt. "I was able to get a sample of it here in my pocket—"

She gulped shakily, lifting the vial with a trembling hand, and slipping the metallic cube out of her pocket with the other. "And they're also—they're also developing something in a—a third lab—with—with—with Damotite. I saw them—I saw them using it on—on—on humans—it works specifically well on humans—and I overheard them discussing one day attempting to acquire DNA samples from Kamino—Master, we have to figure out a way to save whoever we can—and then we have to go—"

Obi-Wan's expression hardened further as he took in the vial of blue substance in her hand, along with the small Damotite cube.

A weapon, incinerating all organic matter…A disease, extracted from blue plants…turning veins blue…Experiments with Damotite, to target DNA samples from Kamino…

All of the projects in this facility could turn the tide of the war…against the Republic.

"You're right," he murmured, his voice grim. "We need to get out of here. Now."