AN: Damn, FFN finally came back up. I was almost worried I wouldn't be able to post this week . . . let alone read any of the other stories I was enjoying. I hope everyone is ready for this chapter, and let me know what you think!
Chapter 51 - Unexpected Encounters
"You be careful, love," Fay warned. "I feel a disturbance in the Force . . . what it is, I can't tell, but I suspect my old master is correct. We are on a precipice and failure will lead to darkness."
"Don't worry, Fay," Kastor said, giving what he hoped was a comforting smile. "I'll be fine, and I won't fail. I made a mistake with Qui-Gon, but it won't happen again. Not this time."
"I should be there. Taria and I should both be there," Fay said.
"No worth worrying about what should be," Kastor teased, but Fay didn't smile. "I'm sure this will prove to be nothing but a wild bantha chase."
"We are on our way regardless," Taria's voice cut in and she appeared in the hologram. "It's fortunate that we were already returning to the Core, so we should only be an hour or so behind you."
"Well, then you'll arrive to get me out of whatever mess I find myself in," Kastor said easily.
"You better still be there for us to save," Taria said sternly.
"Don't worry. I will be."
"Asuna and Rhys are on their way too," Fay said. "The Darasuum should make orbit just after we do. You just need to avoid anything major until we get there."
"You're acting like I'm not a seasoned Jedi Master with a whole team of Jedi and Mandalorian warriors with me," Kastor said with a sigh, crossing his arms. "I can take care of myself, you know."
"We know, but we can all feel it. I know you can too," Fay said.
"Yes, I can," Kastor said softly. "That doesn't mean I will run from it. The Force seems insistent that we get there, so I can't afford to wait. Hopefully we have the strength to prevail . . . if not, may the Force be with us."
"Kastor, we're approaching Chandrila," Adi said, walking in. "Everyone else is strapping in before we exit hyperspace and to prepare for the descent."
"Understood," Kastor said with a nod. "Fay, Ria, it's time for me to go. I will see you in a couple hours."
"Farwell and may the Force be with you," Fay and Taria both said.
"And with you both," Kastor replied and the communication was cut.
Kastor made his way to the cockpit and got into his chair as Adi took the copilot's chair. It was only a few minutes later before they pulled out of hyperspace and were looking upon Chandrila.
Chandrila was a beautiful world. Unlike many other Core worlds, it was kept quite pristine, with its main focus being on farming. It was rather sparsely populated for a Core world and was covered in plains, forests, hills, and oceans. There was only one city on the entire planet, Emita, that was allowed to have industrial factories and even those were subject to strict environmental regulations.
The Ebon Hawk approached the planet's atmosphere quickly when they were finally hailed by the Chandrilan Defense Force.
"This is Master Kastor Shan of the Jedi Order," Kastor said. "We are here to visit the Third Barsen'thor's memorial in the Crystal Canyons."
"Is there something we should be aware of?" the officer's voice said in confusion. "You're the third Jedi vessel that's come through here today notifying us of a visit to the old memorial. Two just came through. We usually only get a few of you a year, and the Order usually coordinates ahead of time for frigates and shuttles, usually carrying groups of younglings."
Kastor and Adi exchanged glances.
"Do you remember the name of the other Jedi who was piloting or in charge of the last two craft?" Adi asked.
"Yes, it was a Jedi Master Kao Cen Darach," the officer replied and Kastor's eyes widened.
"Officer, we are heading there now. Can you please have one of your officers place a call to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and relay everything you have just told me," Kastor said seriously.
"Is that not a Jedi Master in your Order?" the man asked hesitantly.
"Master Kao Cen Darach was killed in battle nearly 3,650 years ago," Kastor explained. "Whoever that was, he is no Jedi. My team will investigate, but please notify the Temple for us."
"Will do, Master Jedi," the officer said swiftly. "We'll send a squad to assist you. May the Force be with you."
"Thank you, and may the Force be with you," Kastor replied before the communication was cut.
Kastor took a steady breath, making sure to keep his balance and he reached out to the Force, but still only sensed the insistence to get to the memorial. Still, that name caused some unease to rise in him.
"There are not many, especially not in this age outside of the Jedi Order that would know that name," Adi said, glancing at him.
"No, there are not," Kastor agreed.
"What are you thinking?" Adi asked.
"What I'm thinking is that we need to get down there," Kastor said quietly.
"You are thinking more than that," Adi observed.
"Perhaps," Kastor agreed with a slight smile, "but my fear cannot be true, and I should not dwell on it."
"And yet, appear in your mind it did," Adi said.
"Yes, but it's nothing but a ghost from the past," Kastor responded.
"Let's hope you are right," Adi said quietly, and Kastor couldn't help but agree silently.
They took the Ebon Hawk into the atmosphere quickly and made their way towards the Crystal Caverns of Chandrila which held the Third Barsen'thor's Memorial. As they approached, Kastor scanned, looking for another ship, but could find nothing in the thick forests surrounding the Caverns.
"Scrappy, take over and get us close," Adi said, and the astromech whistled its acknowledgement, along with a retort about how finally they were realizing that it was smarter to let the droid fly.
"I think I need to give you an ego check later, my little friend," Kastor said, amused.
Scrappy whistled an insult and challenge and Adi and Kastor both smiled, the little droid helping to take some of the edge off. They made their way back into the main hold where the rest of their group was already prepared.
"What's so important about this memorial?" Tor Eso, one of the Mandalorians, asked.
"It's a place of great spiritual power and importance to the Jedi Order," Kep-She answered. "The Third Barsen'thor was a hero of the Jedi Order during the second Cold War between the Galactic Republic, the Sith Empire, and the Eternal Empire and during the War with Zakuul and through most of the Third Galactic War. She saved the Jedi Order and stopped the Dark Plague crisis, showing the wisdom and abilities of a true Jedi and earning her title. She then went on to do what many others couldn't throughout her career including being instrumental in finally providing peace to the great Jedi Revan's spirit. She went on to be a member of the High Council and was one of the greatest members of our Order. She was one of the few to fight off Darth Malgus, during the Third War, on this planet in fact. It's why her memorial was placed here. The government of Chandrila wanted to honor their hero."
"What happened to her?" Dola Haar, another one of the Mandalorians, asked, interested.
Kastor sighed.
"She was abducted by Darth Malgus late during the Third Galactic War and was never heard from again," he said softly. "Her body was never recovered and she was never seen again. She was presumed dead."
"The Jedi Order and the government of Chandrila made this memorial to honor her," Adi continued softly. "Soon after, her Force presence was felt in the cave, and those closest to her almost felt like they could feel her presence . . . warm and welcoming. To this day, Jedi journey to this tomb to sit at the steps and hopefully soak in the wisdom of one of the best of us."
"So, what do you think someone would want with this tomb?" Par Ehn, a third Mando, asked.
Most of the Jedi turned to Kastor, knowing he had the most knowledge of what a darksider might be up to.
"The Force energy that fills her tomb could be siphoned off for a dark ritual," Kastor said slowly. "What they intend to do with that energy, I don't know, but that energy could be used to cause a great deal of destruction. This is also a way to strike at the Jedi by destroying or corrupting one of our holy sites, which could have a negative impact on Chandrila itself."
"Well, hopefully we can get there in time to prevent anything bad from happening," Mynnic said, and Kastor nodded in agreement at the Jedi Master.
It wasn't much longer before Scrappy set the ship down near the entrance to the Crystal Caverns. The whole team quickly disembarked so that Scrappy could take off again and continue scanning for where the other vessels might be hidden.
They made their way to the entrance and found a squad of Chandrilan officers already waiting for them. Kastor counted nine of them in total.
"Master Shan?" one of the officers addressed Kastor, and he nodded. "I'm Sergeant Geren of the Chandrilan Defense Force. I understand we are here to assist you in apprehending some deviants at the Memorial."
"We're not sure who might be at the Memorial, Sergeant. All we know is there is a group that is impersonating Jedi," Kastor said, "but we appreciate the help all the same. Be warned. Our imposters could be very dangerous."
"Nothing we can't handle, Master Jedi," Geran said dryly, and Kastor struggled to keep the frown off of his face. A cocky officer was not someone Kastor wanted for this confrontation, but it was what he had.
"Very well," Kastor said, and then glanced into the canyon which was an enormous gallery of natural crystal formations. It was very beautiful and they were at the beginning of both major paths. They would have to pick which side of the trench to be on, overlooking an abyss too deep to see the bottom of. Every so often, bridges had been built to allow people to cross the abyss to the other side of the trench, but Kastor knew where he was going.
"Alright, we've got a two kilometer walk to the tomb," Kastor said. "Keep your head on a swivel just in case these imposters are waiting for us."
**The Will of the Force**
They could see the lights and hear the noise before they even passed through the security check. Teda's villa was lit up like the brightest Coruscant night sky.
The party was crowded with Romins and others who lived in the palace district, all dressed in their finest. The Jedi were no different. Siri had chosen a shimmersilk sleeveless tunic in colors that shifted from blue to green to silver as she moved, the colors of the sea as the day moved from dawn to twilight. She had refused to wear the matching green slippers, however, pulling on her travel boots instead.
"Just in case I have to run from Teda," she half-joked.
Obi-Wan was wearing the heavy septsilk tunics in purple shades that Slam was so fond of. Anakin and Ferus had dressed in less elaborate fashion, pulling on simple tunics in navy and gold.
"The security is tight," Obi-Wan said as his eyes noted the many guards, both undercover and open.
"Just what we'd expect," Siri said. "Joylin told us that the door to his study won't be armed."
"Let's hope he's right, but first, we'd better say hello to our host."
"Do we have to?" Siri groaned, and Obi-Wan sent her a sympathetic look and a warm gesture through their bond.
It wasn't easy to find Teda in the crush of the crowd. They bumped into Becka, who greeted them happily, with a flushed face and outstretched arms.
"My new arrivals! How glad I am that you are here! Have you tried the delicacies from the different worlds? Can I get you a plate of food?"
"We're looking for Great Leader Teda," Obi-Wan said. "We'd like to thank him for his hospitality."
"I saw him in the house," Becka said. "He checks every detail. How lucky we are to have such a leader! Let me take you to him."
Becka led them quickly through the throng. Obi-Wan noted the lavish decorations ranging from flowers to food and punch. There were different musicians in every room, playing different music, meaning the hallways were a conglomeration of multiple parties, and it was all extremely ostentatious.
They saw Teda's broad back ahead. Obi-Wan heard his voice above the crowd. He was berating a server in a white tunic.
"You were instructed not to serve the dameapple turnovers until after the skewered runis!" he said. He wasn't shouting, but the words were hissed in such white-hot anger that they seemed charged with turbo power.
The server's face now matched his tunic. "I was told in the kitchen—"
With a casualness that shocked Obi-Wan to the core, Teda lifted a small electrojabber and struck a hard blow against the server's knees. The server crumpled, eyes wide. He knew better than to cry out against the pain.
Becka, too, went pale.
"Our leader, so forceful, so strong," he murmured. "How lucky we are to have him." Becka backed away and disappeared into the crowd.
Obi-Wan didn't blame him, having to admit that he had good instincts.
Teda turned. There was no sign of anger on his face, just a slight tautness around his mouth. It was as if the rage had never existed. He was dangerous in a different way than Obi-Wan had thought.
He held out his arms to the Jedi. "Welcome, Slams! Now the party can begin! Have you eaten? Have you met new friends?" He came forward and put his arms through Obi-Wan's and Siri's. It took an effort for Obi-Wan to allow it. He knew Siri felt the same.
Other servers had rushed to help their fallen comrade. They half carried, half dragged him toward the kitchens.
"The theme of the party is paradise," Teda continued. "I've gathered all the best of the galaxy for the citizens of Romin. Even though the best of the best is already here, ha-ha!"
'Not all the citizens. Only the ones that you favor,' Obi-Wan thought as he said, smiling politely, "Thank you for inviting us."
Teda withdrew his arms from theirs. "Now, don't get stuck talking to an old man like me. Go enjoy yourselves!" He smiled at Siri meaningfully. "I will check on you later."
Teda hurried over to greet some new arrivals.
"I can't believe what I just saw," Ferus said indignantly. "He hit that server with an electrojabber with no more emotion than if he were swatting a squeeterfly."
"And you doubt that we are doing the right thing in helping the revolt?" Anakin asked angrily.
Siri changed the subject. "Ferus and I will check out the security on the target," she said.
"I'll check out the perimeter of the palace," Anakin said. "We should map out an escape route just in case. We don't have much time."
That left Obi-Wan without much to do. He had time to kill.
He moved through the crowd, hoping for a glimpse of Jenna Zan Arbor. He didn't know if he would approach her, but he wanted to keep tabs on her, just the same.
Joylin had given him explicit instructions on where to find the codes and where the security triggers would be. Joylin was counting on Slam's conning expertise to get past the guards. Obi-Wan would simply use the Force. If he was lucky, he could be back in the villa very soon after the theft. However, if the revolt really did take place that night, he would go another night without much sleep.
Suddenly, his senses went on alert. A young man with a tired, handsome face was heading toward the drinks table. Obi-Wan knew that face from text docs he had studied. He did not need the Force to warn him.
He looked around. There was nowhere to go.
"Hey, a fellow thirsty traveler," the man said to Obi-Wan, pouring a glass of juice. "Some party, huh? I'm Slam."
By the open, unguarded look on Slam's face, he doubted that Slam knew someone was impersonating him.
"I've only just arrived," Slam said in an amiable way, leaning back against the bar and sipping his juice. He made a face. "Whoa, sweet. Just like my landing spot."
"So you like Romin already?" Obi-Wan asked.
Slam gave a half smile. "Let's say it likes me. The rest of the galaxy isn't too . . . welcoming. Hey, nice tunic!"
"Thank you. I just got here yesterday myself," Obi-Wan said.
Slam waved a glass of juice at the throng. "Interesting party."
"Paradise, I hear," Obi-Wan said. "At least, that's the theme."
Slam laughed. "Well, it looks like paradise to me. It was a rough trip for me and my friends."
'So his gang is here, too. They must have escaped again. Tyro told us that escapes are common now. I have to warn the others.'
"I'm supposed to meet Teda tonight, and pay the usual bribes, I'm sure. Things seemed a bit disorganized at the landing platform. They were having trouble with comm transmissions."
'Joylin,' Obi-Wan realized. 'They had started to disrupt communications.'
"We never got a chance to get our official entry docs," Slam continued. "So, what's the Great Leader like?"
Obi-Wan spoke lightly. "Oh, he's just your average everyday dictator."
"So I hear. But for beings like me, your average everyday dictator comes in handy."
"A word to the wise, though," Obi-Wan said casually. "I wouldn't try to meet him tonight. He's in a bad mood. I just saw him use an electrojabber on a waiter."
Slam winced. "Ouch. Thanks for the tip. Well, I think I'll try the food tables instead, then."
The real Slam moved off. Hopefully that would buy him just enough time to take care of the theft. He glanced at his chrono. Ten minutes before he could lift the codes. Obi-Wan made his way over to where the two Padawans were talking, walking up behind them, and he couldn't help but smile hearing their conversation.
Ferus spoke quietly, incredulously, to Anakin. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
Anakin gulped. "I think so."
"She's . . . flirting."
"It looks like it."
"She's . . . flattering people."
"Yes."
"And she's . . . smiling."
"It's not just that she's smiling," Anakin added, in the interest of accuracy. "She's gushing."
Obi-Wan looked past them to where Siri stood in the middle of a group of admirers. Someone had tucked a bright red flower behind one of her ears, and, as Ferus had hissed to Anakin in a fierce undertone, "Siri left it there!" Obi-Wan watched as she placed a hand on a security officer's coat sleeve and leaned over to whisper in his ear. He leaned back and roared with laughter.
"Whoever would have believed," Anakin said in amazement, "that Siri Tachi could be charming?"
"I'll have you know that Siri can be very charming," Obi-Wan interjected, looking at Siri with fondness in his eyes, "when she wants to be," he added, and both Padawans grinned.
"I think Siri is just pretending to hate this," Ferus said. "I think she's enjoying herself."
"Oh, she is enjoying herself far more than she would ever admit," Obi-Wan agreed, "and she is far better at this than I had ever realized."
Obi-Wan could admit that he had underestimated Siri, and he felt he would give her a proper apology for that later, when they were alone. He felt he owed her one, even if she would likely disagree and just tease him.
Obi-Wan nudged her through their bond, and Siri said one last remark that caused the group of males around her to laugh uproariously. Then she turned away graciously. She moved over to join them.
"Charm is exhausting," she said. "It works though. Half of the surveillance droids are fakes. Every day more officers are deserting the army. They haven't been paid in months. Teda's running out of wealth. He can't afford to prop up his government much longer, so he's looking for income wherever he can find it."
"I've found a way out if we have to escape," Anakin said. "It would be difficult, but not impossible. There's a part of the wall that's less heavily guarded. It's behind a dense thicket of bushes with bright flowers and thorns a meter long. We could use the Force to jump over the thicket. I'm not sure what we'll find on the other side though. Guards are no doubt patrolling outside the palace as well."
"All in all, we just have to hope Obi-Wan doesn't get caught," Siri said.
"I'll do my best," Obi-Wan said, "but in the meantime, we have another problem. The Slam gang is here. The real one."
"That's good news," Siri said sarcastically. "Does Teda know?"
"Not yet. There's interference in the comm systems. Joylin's work, no doubt. I tried to give Slam a warning about approaching him tonight, but I doubt it will keep them apart for long. Teda is making the rounds."
Siri frowned. "Time just ran out."
"This is all the more reason to help with the revolt," Anakin said. "If it's successful, we won't have to worry about Teda or the Slams!"
"Still, we can't take a risk for all of us," Obi-Wan said. "This party suddenly got very small. The three of you should head back to the villa and prepare for a quick departure with Zan Arbor. I'll steal the codes, meet up with Joylin, and join you at the villa."
Anakin shook his head. "I'm not leaving you here, Master."
"Yes, you are, because I'm ordering you to," Obi-Wan said. "Remember, my young apprentice. The mission is first."
Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin's shoulder briefly. He appreciated the gesture, but his decision was firm. However, something else put him on his guard.
"Obi-Wan is right," Siri said, "but nevertheless, we are not leaving."
Obi-Wan shot her an annoyed look. "Siri, I don't have time to argue."
"Precisely. You need us to remain. We'll watch out for the Slams. As soon as you get the codes, we'll all go," Siri said confidently.
"I don't like this," Obi-Wan said.
Siri was adamant. He could feel it.
"Too bad," she said with finality.
Only a slight pressing of his lips showed Obi-Wan's displeasure. He turned abruptly and disappeared into the crowd.
Ferus let out a breath. "Whatever happened to flattery to get what you want?"
"Flattery doesn't work on Obi-Wan," Siri said, and Anakin figured she was the foremost authority on that truth. "Speaking of which, I'll track down Teda. I'll keep him away from the Slams if needed. You two stay close to his office in case Obi-Wan needs you."
Anakin and Ferus both nodded as they watched Obi-Wan approach the two guards, wave his hand, and then slip by them. Now, they just had to wait for him to come back to distract the guards. Hopefully everything would go flawlessly.
**The Will of the Force**
They continued their journey through the caverns. Everywhere he looked, he saw beauty, but as they pressed on, all he could feel was the darkness rising. He noticed it affecting several of his fellow Jedi, who were showing their inexperience and looking nervous.
It was slow going, moving over the rocky terrain, but without any equipment, they moved easily enough. Their first sign of trouble, however, came about halfway down the path, when they found several statues dedicated to the Jedi Order destroyed. The statues had been blasted apart somehow and strewn across the path.
"Why would someone do this?" Knight Solis asked with a frown.
"Because they can," Kastor said, looking at the statues.
"This will not stand," Geran said in outrage. "Destruction of property like this is unheard of on Chandrila!"
"No signs of an explosion," Adi said to Kastor. "No blast marks or carbon scoring."
He nodded, understanding what she was saying.
"Be on your guard," he told the team, and they continued on, seeing more and more destroyed statues as they went before they finally reached the junction where they could continue on the path through the canyons or go to the Jedi Memorial.
They moved down the tunnel towards the Memorial, and Kastor felt the Force surging, telling him that something was wrong, but reaching out with his senses wasn't revealing the threat. Around him his fellow Jedi were also working to pierce the veil of darkness, but failing.
Kastor grimaced seeing the two Jedi Sentinel statues that had flanked the memorial's entrance had also been destroyed. He moved forward into the large atrium that was the memorial. His team moved into the atrium, glancing around, yet seeing nothing. That's when he figured out what was wrong, and quickly used the Force to pierce the illusion.
The cave lit up with torchlight, a small bit of sunlight shining down on where the gravestone should have been. The gravestone itself had already been shattered, but the real alarming part was that the Jedi team wasn't alone.
"Greetings, Jedi," a gravelly voice rang out, and Kastor froze. "It is enlightening to see that the vaunted Jedi Order is not nearly as blind as I was made to believe. That would take all of the challenge away, but then again, perhaps the Jedi Order is blind . . . perhaps you are not Kastor Shan."
The team was surrounded and outnumbered. If it wasn't for the Chandrilans, they'd be outnumbered two to one. The Sith were better armored and equipped however. Kastor quickly assessed the majority of the enemy as a mixture of Sith acolytes, a dozen troopers, and what were probably a handful of Marauders and Sorcerers. The real problem was the two standing near the shattered memorial. One he'd recognize anywhere, and while the other was masked like he had always been, he still recognized the Force presence. However, the mask wasn't his normal one, and it put a hint of fear even in Kastor Shan, for he recognized the infamous mask of Darth Nihilus.
"It wasn't me who foresaw you coming here, Malgus," Kastor said. "I just wanted to stop someone from desecrating my daughter's memorial. Of course, I wouldn't have guessed I'd see you again, but there's no one else who would kill her and then have the gall to destroy her memorial."
"Well, what can I say?" Malgus nearly taunted. "She was deceived, just as you have been and she fell, as all Jedi must. Your Order was prideful enough to think it could destroy us all, but now we have returned. I didn't intend for you to fall here, but it's fitting that I will destroy you here and finally control the fate of the Shans."
"And how do you play into this Nox?" Kastor addressed the masked man next to Malgus. "Malgus never does anything without a plan, but you're no better. I can't imagine you'd come all the way out here and risk exposure just to get one up on the Jedi Order."
"It doesn't matter, Shan," Nox replied, his voice modulated by the mask he now wore. "You won't be around to figure it out."
Lightsabers ignited throughout the room, both Jedi and Sith, and blasters were raised. The Mandalorians got the first shots off, but it was the Sith who charged forward, rage driving them, ready to destroy the Jedi, Mandalorian, and Chandrilan team.
**The Will of the Force**
Siri was nervous, but she knew Obi-Wan was capable. That didn't help her worries knowing they were in unfriendly territory with no real exit strategy, other than revealing themselves as Jedi. If they did that, it was likely the entire city would be trying to kill them, so that wasn't exactly comforting, and it would also mean that the Order would face some issues with the Senate.
Her nerves grew when after only two minutes since Obi-Wan had gone in, the alarm went off. She didn't sense any distress from Obi-Wan, but she did sense his active movements, his focus on some sort of confrontation, and it worried her that there was little they could do for him.
The crowd was nervous. She could sense everyone's nerves about being locked down, and she figured a bunch of criminals weren't going to stand it here since they paid Teda so that they didn't have to deal with it that way.
She hadn't had to worry about keeping the Slams away from Teda, which was fortunate, but her relief at that turned to true relief as she finally saw Obi-Wan coming out of a hallway, Becka at his side.
Becka must have been Joylin's spy . . . or at least one of them.
"False alarm, folks!" Becka called. "Just enjoy yourselves!" He motioned to the musicians. "Great Leader Teda orders you to keep playing!"
The sight of someone in an official uniform had some effect. The musicians began to play, and the guests began to murmur. Siri hurried over to Obi-Wan, and he felt her send some comfort through their bond.
Anakin and Ferus weren't far behind her, also converging on Obi-Wan and Becka, so that they could have their strength in numbers.
"You weren't supposed to trigger an alarm," Siri teased and Obi-Wan grinned at her.
"Sorry, love, but it turns out that not only is Teda a run of the mill dictator, but he's also a slob, and that might be one of his worst offenses."
Siri chuckled at that.
Becka was watching the placement of the guards carefully. Suddenly, a group of them turned and started toward the gates. Lights began to blink rhythmically on the top of the wall.
"Not good," Becka said. "They're going into lockdown."
Obi-Wan looked around. "Any ideas?"
"I scouted out the back wall," Anakin said. "I think we can make it."
"I don't think you should try it," Becka said. "If they see you, it will just make things harder. Security will be looking for you until they catch you. Leave this to me. All we need is a little panic for cover."
Panic was already well in supply in the palace
"Just wait here for a moment," Becka said.
He went from group to group, speaking quietly. As soon as he left them, the groups talked among themselves, and then to others. Soon, voices began to rise.
"This is outrageous!"
"I will not be detained!"
"I came to this planet for security and peace!"
Becka reappeared at Obi-Wan's side. "Just walk out with the others."
"No one is leaving."
"You lead the way. The guests will follow. I've told them that Teda is keeping them indefinitely for interrogation. They are furious and afraid. Teda will have to let you leave. He depends on their bribes to survive. He won't stop them. You'll see. Go."
Siri looked at Obi-Wan and shrugged. "Worth a try."
Obi-Wan drew his cloak around him. "I for one won't stand for this," he said loudly and confidently. "I'm leaving!"
"Yes, this is not what we agreed to," Siri agreed loudly.
Heads turned. As Obi-Wan and Siri stalked off, followed by Anakin and Ferus, some of the braver guests followed. At first it was a trickle, then a wave.
Everything happened as Becka said it would. The crowd approached the nervous security guards at the gate. They drew their blasters but did not fire them as Obi-Wan and Siri continued to stride ahead. One officer spoke quickly into a comlink. Obviously, he was contacting Teda.
In just seconds, the security gates opened. Teda could not compromise his treasury by angering those who propped up his regime.
So Obi-Wan, Siri, Anakin, and Ferus left the palace compound in a fashion they hadn't suspected when they'd arrived — leading a large group of angry criminals straight out the front gates.
Joylin was waiting for the Jedi in the prearranged spot, in a narrow alley behind the exclusive shops on the boulevard.
"Heard you had a rough time," Joylin said, looking them over.
Obi-Wan handed him the codes.
Joylin quickly accessed the small disk and scanned its contents. "It's all worth it." He looked up. "Our operatives are in place. We're going to hit the security center first and knock out the CIP. Then we'll take over the rest."
"Remember," Obi-Wan said, "we want Zan Arbor."
Joylin nodded. "Part of the deal. We won't go back on it. We'll contact you at dawn and you'll tell us how you want to proceed. Your ship will be fueled and you'll have permission to leave, if that's what you want. We have plans to confiscate all other transports, so you'll be the only ones allowed to get off-planet."
Obi-Wan nodded. 'Good. That way, the Slams would be Zan Arbor's only choice.'
"Until then, my suggestion is for you to go back to your villa and lie low. Things are going to get worse before they get better."
"I thought you said this would be a bloodless revolution," Ferus said accusingly.
"I said I intended it to be," Joylin said back blandly. "I still do." He looked overhead. Sentry droids were beginning to patrol the streets, sweeping dark areas with panels of light. "Now I'd better knock out that CIP."
He turned and disappeared down the dark alley. Obi-Wan and Siri exchanged a worried look. They had rarely seen a government takeover that was easy or bloodless.
Yet all they could do was wait.
**The Will of the Force**
Adi blocked one blade that swung at her midsection, and then dodged left to avoid a thrust at her chest. She struck at her two opponents swiftly, trying to use her speed to overwhelm the two Sith.
The fight had started in the Jedi and Mandalorians' favor. The six Mandalorians had all gotten shots off first, dropping three of the Sith troopers, and then Tra Ehn had shown just what the Mandalorians had learned from centuries of conflict with Force users. An acolyte had rushed ahead, anger fueling their speed and swung to strike down the Mandalorian but he blocked the attack with his gauntlet. His gauntlet turned out to not be beskar or durasteel as many would assume, but instead it was cortosis. The acolyte could only stare in shock and horror before Tra shot him in the face. This had been followed up by Ori Naak and Krenid Jaare gunning down another acolyte who'd rushed at them only for both to unleash a volley of shots from a combination of blasters, wrist blasters, and a hidden set of darts in Krenid's knee pad, which the acolyte was unable to counter. Another acolyte had charged straight at Kastor only to be quickly cut down as Kastor used both blades to overwhelm the overeager Sith before he met Malgus's rage-fueled strikes.
Unfortunately, that was when the fight became pure chaos with troopers, Chandrilan officers, and Mandalorians exchanging shots, Jedi and Sith blades connecting, and Mandalorians drawing vibroblades to try and counter the acolytes. Half of the Chandrilan officers were killed in the initial spray of blasters, and the survivors were looking about ready to bolt in fear. Kastor was keeping Malgus busy, Nox had been engaged by Veran Solis and Mynnic, while the rest of the Jedi and Mandalorians all found themselves facing nearly two opponents each.
Adi glanced over at her friend who was a whirlwind, slashing, stabbing, cutting, and dodging Malgus's rage-fueled strikes. Malgus was rage incarnate from what Adi could see, sending each strike almost harder or faster than the previous one, but Kastor was countering with a swift strike of his own to match the infamous Jedi killer. He was using Form VII, but unlike what Maglus was familiar with, he was using Malgus's own darkness to fuel his strikes, something that Malgus had probably never seen, since Mace Windu was, supposedly, the inventor of Vaapad. While it was possible records had been lost and Malgus had seen such a technique before, it seemed to be very effective against the Sith Lord so far. It was a four thousand year old grudge being played out in front of her with both putting everything on the line.
All around though, the same couldn't be said for the rest of them though. Par Ehn had managed to kill another Sith Trooper before he'd taken a combination of bolts and then been beheaded by an acolyte. Veran had been the next to fall, having lost her concentration and fallen to some sort of Sith Sorcery from Nox, forcing Mynnic to try and defend her broken body, but failing as Nox used the Force to summon the Ithorian to him before he removed her head from her body. The odds were now even worse for Mynnic as another acolyte moved next to Nox to help fight Mynnic.
Kep-She and Talon were in their own defensive fight, holding off five acolytes together, working in tandem to try and find an opening to strike, but the Sith were content to tire out the Jedi it seemed, and occasionally the troopers were firing bolts at various Jedi to try and keep them off balance or get a lucky shot into an opening. It was similar to where Lumen and Akial were in their own fight with three opponents. Two more of the Chandrilians had been killed, leaving only three left, all three trying to stay next to the Mandalorians, firing at the troopers, and doing their best to avoid the Sith.
Adi blocked a shot at the last moment, and it went back and killed one of the Sith troopers. One of her opponents tried to capitalize on the trooper's shot, but got too greedy and overextended, and she used the Force to launch him back into the cave wall where he collapsed. The odds weren't improved though as the acolyte helping Nox pulled off at Nox's signal to engage her, and another one of the acolytes moved to deal with her as well.
Adi kept her defensive actions up, biding her time, looking for areas she could weaken her opposition without exposing herself to an attack. She spun away and saw an opening, moving forward slightly and kicking one of the acolytes in his knee. He grunted and Adi quickly backed off as he faltered for a moment and another rushed to defend him. She then jumped over the one who tried to strike at her from behind, landing just behind him and the acolyte just managed to get her blade around back to deflect Adi's blade, but she couldn't stop Adi from using the Force to launch her into the acolyte that Adi had kicked in the knee, putting both onto the ground.
Adi blocked the still standing opponent's blade, and used the change in her circumstances to try and figure out what the Sith had planned. Kastor was right. They didn't come here to destroy some monuments. She reached out with the Force, feeling the conflict. She felt her fellow Jedi drawing on the Force to counter the darkness . . . and she felt the darkness trying to cover something up. She felt the illusion was starting to fall and she pushed hard causing the illusion to collapse completely, and that's when she felt an object in the Force, hidden underneath the cracked memorial.
"You've gotten better, boy!" Malgus complimented with a snarl.
"You've gotten slower, old man," Kastor responded back, and Malgus struck hard and Kastor jumped back. Another acolyte tried to rush forward and strike at him, but he blocked the strike and picked him up with the Force before throwing him at Malgus.
Malgus however simply slashed the man nearly in half and used brute force to fling the body out of his way. The brutality of the move shocked Adi and that loss of focus almost cost her as her opponent raised his hand and shot Force Lightning at her. She just barely raised her blade and managed to block the lightning, using the Force to keep the lightning locked to her blade.
"Shan is mine! Nobody interferes!" Malgus called out.
"You're a relic from a broken Empire, Malgus," Kastor said. "You're going to need all the help you can get."
Adi jumped back as all three of her opponents rushed to engage her again, and she kept up her defensive posture, while trying to think of the way forward. Kastor might be able to hold off or maybe even defeat Malgus, but there was no way they could win right now. They needed to get out and warn the Order. They had to know that Malgus and Nox were alive. They also needed to take whatever was underneath the memorial.
Adi pushed out through her bond to Kastor.
'Kas, we need to grab what the Sith came for and get out,' she said, and received his brief acknowledgement, and she knew that was all she would get. He couldn't afford to have a major lapse in concentration or he would fall.
"Ori, we need cover fire! We need to get whatever is under the memorial! Akial, I'll buy you time!"
Tor Eso and Krenid Jaare were locked by blades with an acolyte, the two Mandalorians using, now smoking, vibroswords to try and match the Sith, but their weapons weren't meant to be fighting lightsabers for much longer. Ori Naak and Dola Haar, who had been trying to pick off troopers while using their armor as their cover, heard her call and answered, along with the three remaining Chandrilans.
The five warriors focused their fire as they started charging towards the memorial. The Sith troopers were forced to dive out of the way and out of position, since their armor wasn't holding up against the Mandalorian armaments. Kep-She, Talon, and Akial used the distraction that the Mandalorians created to each defeat one of their opponents, with Kep-She slicing from shoulder to hip, Talon using the Force to launch her opponent into the cavern wall, and Akial using a burst of speed to rush forward and cut his opponent in half, leaving him and Lumen to only deal with two opponents and Talon and Kep-She to only worry about three.
With better odds, Lumen took up the fight with their remaining two opponents while Akial moved for their new objective.
She felt sorrow fill the Force and she glanced over to see that Krenid was mortally wounded by his and Tor's opponent, with a lightsaber going through his gut, which then slid right, spilling his insides. However, the acolyte was killed by Tor, being unable to pull back fast enough to avoid being decapitated. As Krenid was dropping to his knees though, with one last act of defiance he fired a wrist rocket at a group of troopers that were trying to stop Ori and Dola's momentum, and shot a volley of shots at one of Adi's opponents, whose back was to the Mandalorian, and who didn't block the shots, too focused on trying to fight her, and he dropped, leaving her with just two opponents.
Adi gathered the Force and blasted her two remaining opponents away so that she could join Akial, Ori, and Dola in their push, but her goals changed with the circumstances.
Kep-She cut down one of her and Talon's remaining opponents allowing for Talon to capitalize on one of their remaining opponents and disarm the man before kicking him in the head and knocking him out. The fight was going in their favor, with Kep-She shielding Talon from reprisal from their remaining opponent when a Force illusion dropped revealing a Sith assassin who stabbed Kep-She through her back.
"No!" Kastor called out before Malgus blasted him back with a massive Force push and he crashed into the wall and slid to the ground dazed.
Adi grimaced. Mynnic was holding off Nox, but as Kastor had told her when they'd discussed him possibly being alive, his swordsmanship wasn't his strong suit. He was an assassin. He was dangerous with the Force, but Mynnic was a powerful Consular, so it was a fairly even fight for now.
Talon had used the Force to launch Kep-She's killer and his other opponent away from him, allowing him to surge forward with Akial to the smashed memorial, deflecting blaster bolts and killing two more Sith troopers.
Akial was being shielded by Talon, the Mandalorians, and the Chandrilans as the Jawa lifted the smashed stone away. Adi only had a short glimpse of some sort of casket before she rushed over to engage Malgus, who was moving to finish off a still dazed Kastor. Adi jumped in and her blade intercepted Malgus's blade.
He glared at her.
"You dare interfere," Malgus snarled.
"Master, they've got the casket!" one acolyte yelled out, and Malgus glanced back.
Adi used his distraction to use a Force push of her own and blast him back into the cavern wall. All around her, the remaining Jedi did the same thing to all of their opponents, trying to create space and a window so they could cover their retreat with the casket.
As they were trying to cover their retreat though, Lumen couldn't deflect Force lightning that was launched at him, and it incapacitated him, allowing two of the Sith troopers to focus their firepower and shoot him several times. Another one of the Chandrilans fell alongside him, taking bolts from multiple directions.
"Finish them!" Nox and Malgus both ordered and Adi felt her end coming when both Sith Lords and four of the acolytes conjured Force lightning, but Kastor came out of nowhere and put everything he had into conjuring a barrier which reflected the lightning in various directions.
"Fall back," Kastor called out, and they all made their way to the entrance of the memorial, but it was Tra Ehn who bought them time by using his cortosis gauntlets to kill another two acolytes that were desperately trying to push past the Mandalorians, but in the process, Tra was hit and critically injured by a lightsaber through his abdomen.
"For Mandalore!" he coughed out before he quickly pulled out two thermal detonators and dropped them both.
The Jedi, Mandalorian, and Chandrilan survivors ran out of the memorial as the explosion caused a rock slide, sealing the tunnel for now.
"That will only buy us a little time," Kastor said, breathing hard, and Adi nodded.
"We must hope we can outrun them," Mynnic said.
Adi and Talon helped Akial use the Force to levitate and move the casket and as a team, they started rushing back the way they had come.
"They're jamming us," Kastor said with a grimace. "I can't get a hold of Scrappy, but hopefully he's got the Ebon Hawk nearby and ready for us like we wanted. Dola, see if you can break through their jam."
"You got it, boss," the Mandalorian responded, typing away on his wrist system.
"What the hell kind of Jedi were those?" Geran, one of the two survivors asked, breathing hard, his cocky demeanor destroyed.
"Not Jedi. Sith," Akial said.
As they ran, Ori threw a detonator back behind them and it went off, blowing away the cavern walkway on their side of the abyss.
"That should buy us some time," he said.
"Just from the troopers," Kastor said back grimly. "The rest of them will just jump over, but it will at least force them to expend more energy. The troopers will have to run further to find the next bridge."
"Good enough for us," Tor said, throwing another detonator. "I've got six more."
"Four more," Ori said. "Might as well make it a little more difficult for them."
It was only another two hundred meters before they heard the rubble from the memorial being blasted away, the sound echoing through the canyon. The race was on.
They had made it just over a quarter of the way there when they finally started hearing their pursuers, and they were nearly halfway done with their journey when they finally saw the lead acolytes that were fastest and had rushed ahead to try and stall them.
Ori and Tor threw the second to last of their detonators creating a large gap that one of the acolytes tried to jump only for Kastor to stop the woman's momentum so she fell down the abyss, her screams echoing through the canyon.
The Jedi team continued forward, running with everything they had.
"What is this thing that they want so bad?" Tor asked, breathing a bit hard.
"It's an oubliette," Kastor said. "A Sith stasis casket. They can keep beings alive in suspended animation for thousands of years, or at least that's what they always said about them."
"So, there's another Sith in this casket?" Dola asked, looking at the thing. "Why don't we just open it up, put a bolt in their head, and call it a day then? We can then stop carrying this thing and we'll have the whole team ready to fight these Sith. Hell, with this terrain, we might be able to defeat them."
"Opening it will take time," Kastor said. "Besides, we don't know who is in there and I don't know how cognizant they are. If we open it up and there's another very powerful Sith Lord that is able to counter us immediately, we could very well fail in making sure that they don't recover who is in that casket. We also don't know why they wanted whoever it is. They might not even want the person. They might just want the casket. We can't afford to give them what they want."
"Fair enough, but we need to buy more time," Tor said as he looked over his shoulder to see two acolytes running up on them fast.
He and Ori threw the last of their detonators, but threw them behind the acolytes, causing an explosion and creating the gap in the path that they wanted, but it was close enough to cause the two Sith to lose their balance. Tor, Ori, and Dola all fired rapid shots and one of the acolytes wasn't able to get up a proper defense and was hit once, twice, and then a third time knocked him into the abyss. The other acolyte ran up, managing to avoid the volley but when she got close enough, both Ori and Dola raised their arms and fired their flamethrowers. The acolyte could only scream as she was engulfed and then quickly blasted into the abyss.
"Shavit, some of the bastards were smart," Ori cursed, and they all glanced to see that quite a few had jumped to the other side of the abyss, where the path was unimpeded and were even now clearly looking to run past and head them off at the entrance, rather than fight them here where they were at a clear disadvantage.
"Then it's a fight," Mynnic said grimly. "Let's move."
They kept up their journey, hearing their pursuers behind them, hearing Malgus's voice calling out that they would not escape, but they managed to keep ahead just enough to avoid continuing the fight. That all changed when they made it to the entrance to the canyons where Nox and six acolytes were waiting for them.
"I'll handle Nox," Kastor said, eying his old foe. "Just get that casket out of here."
"No, Kastor, I've got him," Mynnic said. "You have intimate knowledge of these Sith and must return to warn the Order."
"Handle me?" Nox said with a laugh. "I don't think so, Jedi. No, you controlled our previous fight, but I control this one."
He reached out with his hand and then pulled back towards him and Mynnic groaned in pain as his life force was absorbed out of him and flew into Nox. The rest of the team stared in horror at where the esteemed nomad now lay, a dehydrated corpse.
"Now, who's next?" the Sith taunted.
Adi and Kastor both raised their blades, ready to challenge the Sith Lord when the cavern entrance blew in and laser cannons came flying through the opening, forcing the Sith to jump away. The Ebon Hawk was hovering low, unleashing a volley on the Sith acolytes, who were forced to evade. On the ground, Mandalorians led by Fay and Taria were concentrating their fire on specific acolytes, overwhelming them.
Kastor and his remaining team rushed past the Sith, with Nox being the only one who tried to stop them, but when he tried to do his life absorbing trick, Fay stepped forward and stopped him in his tracks before blasting him away with a Force push.
The survivors pushed forward and Akial and Adi quickly pushed the casket up into the Ebon Hawk which had lowered its ramp. Kastor then turned towards where the remaining Sith were fleeing to where the rest of their members were about to join the fray, and he locked eyes with Malgus, who gave him a nod of respect.
"Until next time, Jedi," Malgus's voice rang out and the Sith all fled back into the caverns.
Kastor started to move forward to pursue, but Adi and Fay stopped him.
"We've won this battle," Adi said, "but if we go back in there, they will have the advantage again, and we risk overextending ourselves."
"Love, we need to deal with that oubliette," Fay said, and he took a long slow breath, letting the Force calm him, and he felt comfort come through the bonds from Taria, Fay, and Adi.
"You're right," he said. "We'll call the Order and get more Jedi. If we can try and prevent them leaving the planet, we might still get them yet, but fighting them now will only lead to failure."
He got several nods of approval.
"I'll have Asuna deploy the fleet and those two officers are already calling in backup," Taria said. "We'll be ready to force them out of the sky."
"I hope you're right," Kastor said, looking once again at the canyon.