Author's Note: Dearest readers, it's so good to be back and sharing more of this weekly adventure with you all. So much has happened over the course of this week. I want to take some time to reflect on the innocent lives lost in Uvalde, Texas. This is an ongoing issue in the United States where our country values firearms more than it does the lives of our children. The world around us is changing in so many different ways. Many times, we can't even make sense of it. Other times, it feels like we've made progress and that all we have to hold on to is each other. I speak to you now not just as readers, but as friends. And my friends, life is too short. We've heard this phrase over and over again, but I cannot stress how true this is. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. We have no idea what moment will be our last and we take that for granted. How many words go unsaid? How many actions left unpursued? How much love left ungiven?
June is Pride Month. And while it means so much for so many different people...to me Pride is about being yourself by all and any means. I write this as a reminder that you are enough. That the right people will love you for who you are, and it is not your job to make the wrong ones understand. Love is love is love is love. And while I cannot speak for any other voice, I want you to know that this account and all of my social medias are safe places for you to be you. I accept you as you are because you have every right to fly free. Hold on to love and go be you!
Long Live Love, Happy Pride and May the Force Be with you!
Your bisexual author,
~ Michael
THE FROZEN FORCE SEASON 4 RETURN SPECIAL
Chapter: 107 The Rodian Strikes Back (Part II)
"People won't always say who they really are, but their actions will show you the truth."
A murder on Coruscant! In a shocking surge of events, Senator Tobin Ranassa has been assassinated in the Upper City. With Senator Mon Mothma suffering severe injuries, those at the crime scene were left to make sense of the dark deed for themselves. As more observers arrived, all eyes fell upon a fugitive known as the Bug. Hoping for her to be innocent, Jedi Knight Anna Dellian and her companions must choose their words wisely...
A Rodian's eyes were unlike any other being's in the galaxy. Each bulbous orb was like a dark pool of stars, radiating with as both mystery and wonder. Jee was no exception to this powerful concept as Anna stared the Rodian down. The world around them had become a numbing blur. Figures shifted in slow motion betwixt a deafening silence. Blasters steadied as both clones and police droids took aim at Jee. Flames from the nearby speeder crash danced behind their fearsome silhouettes. Whatever other sounds returned to Anna's senses were blocked out by Commander Fox's heavy hollers.
"Drop the weapon!" he brayed. "Drop it or we will shoot!"
The blaster wasn't even rattling in Jee's hand. She didn't have a tremble in her limbs nor an ounce of fear in her eyes. Instead, her stern glare shifted towards the alley walls around her. Her snout drooped into a stern frown as she formulated a plan. Without uttering a word, Jee started raising her offhand in surrender.
"Put the gun down!" Fox barked as Mattias sensed a disturbance.
"Look out!" the master warned just as Jee extended her palm. She bought just enough time for her adversaries to get into range, and then unleashed a powerful Force push. The invisible surge of energy knocked both clones and police droids off of their feet as Jee aimed her pistol.
"No!" Mattias warned and lunged in front of the clones. He prepared to deflect any lasers, but was surprised to find Jee shooting in a different direction entirely. She instead aimed for one of the parked cruiser's thrust cortexes. Once the laser met its mark, a powerful vortex of exhaust spewed across the street and masked her escape.
"Damn it!" Hans coughed as the smoke picked up. "We should've blasted her while we had the chance. She's getting away!"
"Hold on," Anna wheezed. "There might be more to this. Let's just-"
"You're going soft," Hans groaned and bumped past her.
"Hans!" Anna blurted as he continued to sprint down the alley.
"Still glad you brought him along?" Mattias snarked while Force-pushing away smoke. "He's got guts. I'll give him that."
"What good will it do him if he gets himself killed?" Anna murmured and chased after him.
"I'll flank!" Mattias hollered before she was out of earshot.
Hans' heart thundered as he bolted through the alley. His wild, emerald eyes zeroed in on gunky footprints in the duracrete. "You can't hide from me!" he growled and picked up the pace. A sudden clang from above had Hans flashing an eager, devilish smirk. He peered up and spotted Jee trying to climb a wall-bolted drain pipe. "There you are," Hans chuckled and raised his twitching hands. With a ferocious thrust of each arm, Hans Force-pulled the drain pipe out of its wall sockets. Bolts ricocheted against the adjacent wall as Jee desperately tried to hold on. Furious, Hans Force-pulled again to yank her to the ground. He laughed at the Rodian's pain and misfortune, watching as she fell to his will.
Jee was hunched over on her stomach and still catching her breath when she heard Hans' lightsaber ignite. The Jedi dragged the green blade's tip across the ground as he closed in on her. "Now here's someone I didn't expect to see again," Hans derided. "You bug-faced freak." Jee didn't move and still caught her breath atop pieces of the collapsed drain. Hans briefly glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching. "Consider this overdue payback for our first fight," he hissed and raised his saber to execute her.
The Rodian's pointy ears twitched once she heard the hum of an elevated lightsaber. After Hans took his offensive, wide-legged stance, Jee flipped over and used the Force. She launched the nearest thick, metal pipe directly between Hans' legs. The ensuing crunch against his manhood was enough to make Hans instantly buckle forward. His momentum drained within seconds and his lightsaber plummeted beside him. If someone deemed it impossible to scream, gasp, and whimper all at the same time...Hans had just proved it wrong. His face reddened as he dropped to his knees in agony, experiencing a pain like no other. Sweat meshed with tears while agony clashed with rage. And as Hans succumbed to the brutal strike, Jee rose to stand over him.
"Payback for our first fight?" she reiterated while calling another portion of the pipe to her with the Force. Looking Hans in his bloodshot eyes, she simply scoffed and said, "That wasn't even worth calling a fight." With a hefty swing, Jee struck Hans across the face and knocked him out. His body hit the duracrete with a thud as she observed his saber's golden hilt. As much as Jee needed a lightsaber, she wasn't willing to wield one belonging to a man like Hans.
"Hans!" Anna beckoned from around the corner. Acting quickly, Jee backed away and ran down the opposite alley.
She only made it several feet before being cut off by Mattias. The master had taken his time flanking and casually stepped in front of the Rodian. He activated his lightsaber and kept it defensively close. "Please stop running," Mattias insisted.
Jee shuddered as memories of Aurra Sing hurting Mattias returned. She hurriedly shook her head and started backing up. "I didn't cause that crash," she insisted. "And I sure as hell didn't shoot anyone."
"Then the best way to prove that is to stop running," Mattias implored.
"Oh kriff," Anna uttered while observing her fallen lover. "Hans is down!" she shouted before noticing Mattias confronting Jee. Cautious, she sparked up her saber and blocked Jee's escape from behind. "How could you do this?" she interrogated.
"I didn't," Jee snapped while raising her empty hands. "Well...him I did knock out. But he was gonna kill me."
"Liar," Anna retorted. "You're unarmed." She raised a brow, realizing that Jee didn't have Master Chaki's lightsaber anymore.
"Your friend didn't seem to care," Jee huffed. "He'll live, but others could die if we don't stop the Force users I told you about."
"If you didn't cause the airspeeder crash-" Mattias began. "-did they?"
"I'm not sure," Jee confessed. "But they have my-" She sighed as guilt took hold. "-A lightsaber," she corrected. "And we-"
"This way!" Commander Fox's voice echoed from across the alley.
"Go," Anna relented as Mattias raised a brow.
"If she's as innocent as she says-" the master began. "-then Commander Fox will-"
"He's not the type to stick around and listen," Anna intoned before bringing her voice to a whisper. "I heard what happened to Fives. If that happens to Jee before we get any answers, this whole mystery goes unsolved. Please, Mattias."
Her elder bit his lip, but then started to hyperventilate. As Anna caught on, she too gave off the impression of looking winded. They motioned for Jee to flee as the duo 'ran' in place. As Jee dashed off, she took a moment to shout, "Remember the Slitters!" Anna furrowed her brows as Jee added "Uscru!" before disappearing.
The young Dellian was left to ponder over such a coded concept while Commander Fox caught up. As his fellow clones secured the alley, Fox approached the Jedi. "Where'd she go?" he huffed.
"We lost her in this maze of alleys," Mattias panted while feigning exhaustion.
"I'll send patrols out to continue the pursuit," Fox asserted.
"No!" Anna snapped, causing the clone to inquisitively tilt his head.
Mattias sighed. "What my former student here is trying to say is, we have a more pressing matter here. Secure the crash site and search for survivors."
Fox's pause was chilling, but he ultimately nodded in agreement. "Very well," he affirmed and pulled his men out of the alley.
"That was too close," Mattias murmured once the Coruscant Guard was out of earshot. "I just hope your friend knows what she's doing."
"At this point-" Anna grumbled. "-so do I. Come on. Let's go scrape Hans' off of the pavement."
As the Jedi recovered, Commander Fox's men secured the ravaged airspeeder. One of the troopers peered into the driver's seat and pressed his fingers to the fallen man's neck. Unable to feel a pulse, he backed away and grimly shook his head. His partner saw to the passenger's seat and feared to find a similar outcome. To his surprise, a sudden shift had him staggering towards the other clones. "Commander!" the soldier hollered. "Come quick!"
The upper city incident was covered by news outlets citywide. Coruscanti tuned in to the harrowing event via transmission, hologram, or datascreen. Celenia had just finished one of her performances when she returned to the stillness of her club's backstage area. But any hope of unwinding diminished as soon as she noticed her fellow dancers huddled around a datascreen. Curious, the pale Twi'lek adjusted her corset and joined her coworkers. "What's...going on?" she queried.
"Upper city shooting," her blue-skinned counterpart whispered. "It's awful."
Celenia listened in as the Coruscant Rose reporter continued her on-scene broadcast. "Belle O'Har here. As you can see behind me, service droids are still working to clear debris from both the street and upper offices. Eyewitnesses say a shooter approached an airspeeder carrying two senators and immediately opened fire. The driver, Senator Tobin Ranassa, is believed to have been killed in the initial attack. And while it is unclear what ensued to cause multiple accidents, Senator Mon Mothma has been severely injured. The last we've heard, she's been taken to an undisclosed hospital under heavy guard. As for the shooter, authorities believe the notorious 'Bug' has returned to terrorize Coruscant."
"Hey," the blue Twi'lek gasped and pointed behind Belle. "Jedi!"
Celenia's heart sank when she recognized the auburn-haired man among the trio. She felt sick to her stomach, watching as Anna carried Hans beyond Mattias and towards Belle for an interview. She wanted to flash back to any pleasant memory, but all she could visualize was his horrid invasion of her room. Celenia had to pour herself a glass of water to try and stay calm.
"We were fortunate to have some Jedi on the case," Belle complimented. "Tell us. How soon do you believe it will be until this shooter is brought to justice?"
Before Anna could speak, Hans immediately interrupted her. He grumbled beyond the bruise across his face and jabbed a finger towards the camera. "That cheap-shotting Rodian can run-" he grumbled. "-but she can't hide! The Jedi Order will hunt her down and lock her up!" The ice cubes rattled in Celenia's shaking glass. She could hardly stop her hand from trembling while staring at Hans' face. "I will personally make sure this city is protected!"
"Okay," Anna teased while chuckling nervously on camera. She patted Hans' back in an effort to calm him down. "Let's get you some bacta, Mr. Hero."
Anna could've talked for another hour. It wouldn't have mattered...for Celenia immediately recognized her voice. She recalled the 'other woman' she'd spoken to when she called Hans' communicator. And how shortly after that, he'd barged in to personally...violently cut things off with her. Celenia's eyes narrowed as she watched Anna subtly caress Hans' back. Caught between anger and speculation, Celenia impulsively threw her glass at the datascreen. The other performers shrieked and gasped as Celenia stormed into the nearest corridor. Her breaths quickened and nostrils flared as she tried to make sense of it all. Her alone time was cut short as the blue-skinned Twi'lek arrived to check on her.
"Celenia?" she worried.
"Just go away, Rovas."
"Well that only confirms that something's bothering you," Rovas insisted and leaned against the doorframe. "What is it, Cel?"
Celenia sighed, "Those people on the news. They...reminded me of someone."
"Alright-" Rova sighed. "Who do I have to beat up?"
Her friend's response coaxed a snicker out of her. Celenia's smile was brief as she lamented, "I'm just realizing I got played."
"Oh?"
"I know that out on the dancefloor, we own the stage and people cater to us. But I think I started craving something else entirely. Something stable. And I ended up just becoming someone's side girl. His plaything to discard when he was done caring."
"Well firstly," Rova insisted. "Kriff this guy you're talking about. And not in a good way." Her quip garnered a haughty laugh between the Twi'leks. "Secondly, babe you've been through enough already. All of our people have. We managed to escape during the Separatist invasion of Ryloth, but it's still a mess even after its liberation. You're over here making good money and living the best life you can because other Twi'lek's can't. You want to dream about stability? Kriffing do it and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. As for this sleemo who was playing with you...play back. If he doesn't want to take you seriously, show him who he's messing with, baby. Then again, that's just me being petty. But you've been through too much to take any smack from some laserbrain who only thinks with his pants." Celenia smiled and gratefully nodded to her coworker. Yet as more thoughts of Hans emerged within, all she could do was clench a fist.
Tori Vica was no stranger to visiting the temple's Grand Spire. However, she could sense every bit of anxiety emanating off her friend. As a Trandoshan, Vedkan Nublar had a naturally stern look to him. Sunlight streaked against his black scales with each portion of the elevator's ascension. Yet despite his apparent composure, Vedkan's scarlet eyes kept darting from side to side. The reptilian fidgeted with his claws until Tori ultimately slapped them apart.
"What was that for?" he hissed.
"For you to take a deep breath," Tori intoned. "We've done nothing wrong, and therefore have nothing to be afraid of."
"Then why would the council summon us?" Vedkan questioned. "If we aren't in trouble, do you think we'll be assigned new masters?"
The Pantoran wrinkled her nose. "I don't think so," she professed. "Not this time. Or perhaps, I've just accepted what will be in terms of a mentor." Vedkan's raised, scaly brow prompted her to continue. "I've gone through three masters, Vedkan. I don't really have much expectation for a fourth."
In an effort to make light of the situation, the Trandoshan chuckled awkwardly. "Maybe they'll just make us Jedi Knights, eh?" Tori humored his jest with a laugh and shrugged.
"You never know," she whispered. Their conversation prompted a curious thought to cross her mind. "Vedkan," she inquired. "If I may be so bold...how did your master pass away?"
Vedkan winced, bearing his sharp teeth. "With honor," he sighed just as the elevator dinged. Snapping himself back into the moment, he uttered. "W-we should hurry over. The council's expecting us."
"Right then," Tori concurred and hoped she hadn't touched a nerve. As she and Vedkan entered the council chamber, they found themselves surrounded by their noble Jedi superiors. "You summoned us, masters?" Tori asked as she and Vedkan bowed. They couldn't help but notice how more masters were holograms in their seats, given the urgency of the frontlines.
"Padawan Vica," Master Yoda greeted. "Padawan Nublar. Thank you for arriving promptly, we do. Expect nothing less, we did."
"Long have you two strived to find your place in our Order," Master Mundi spoke via hologram. "And as the Force would have it, you were robbed of your masters."
"Still, you strive to better yourselves." Master Billaba's hologram added.
"Helped many in the Order, you did during the bombing." Yoda continued. "Help the Order again, you can now."
"Whatever it is you need," Tori began.
"We'll help in any way that we can," Vedkan concluded. They nodded to each other while awaiting the council's response.
"More and more Jedi have been called into service offworld," Master Windu explained. "We need Jedi we can trust here in Coruscant who can help keep the peace."
"Trouble in the upper city there was," Yoda explained. "A senator killed. Another-" The elder shook his frail head. "-terribly wounded. Bring the attacker to justice, you must. This, the council decrees."
Tori nodded swiftly. "Consider it done, Master Yoda. We'll put a stop to this."
"See that you do," Windu added. "The war is depleting our resources here on Coruscant. With each new siege in the Outer Rim, another Jedi ventures on to lead a campaign. We're counting on you two because you've demonstrated vigilance and respect for the Order. Prove us right and live up to those standards."
"It will be done," Vedkan insisted as he and Tori left the chamber.
Senator Sofi Pru's manor was alive with the sound of her clacking heels. She nervously paced throughout both stories until a notification buzzed on her communicator. Realizing someone was at her garage, she bolted over to investigate. On her way, Sofi listened to the various datascreens she'd stationed to play the HoloNews. She angrily stomped into the garage and saw an unmarked airspeeder gliding in for a landing. Sofi bit her nails as one of her Mirialan thugs exited the vehicle. He trudged up to her while the second walked to the backseat.
"Where is she?" Sofi uttered.
"She's in the back," the Mirialan answered.
"Alive?" Sofi growled. As soon as he nodded, she immediately stomped over to the backseat. She shoved past the second Mirialan and forcefully opened the door. "Get up," she hissed at a sprawled out body. She bit her blood red lips while hardly awaiting a response. "Get up andget out!" she snapped. With a heavy groan, Dia forced herself up and hunched out of the speeder. "What the hell happened?" Sofi asked as Dia stood before her. "You were supposed to kill them both. Both means two,Dia. Can't you count?"
Dia rubbed her aching back. "I wasn't expecting the second to put up that much of a fight. The speeder went flying and we crashed into a building. I barely leapt off in time and to land in a dumpster. Your boys were at the pickup just in time."
"Convenient that you landed in a dumpster," Sofi scoffed. "Considering you were living like trash before I saved you. Do you have any concept of the lengths I went through to make this happen? The traffic cameras I had shut down? The construction timing? All for you to waste my hard work?"
"I killed one of them," Dia retorted. "That's enough to get the people afraid. And fear motivates faster than anything else. You'll get your votes."
"And what about Senator Mothma?" Sofi huffed. "Hm? What if she saw you? What if she leads the police right back to me?"
"I kept my hood up. She didn't get a good look at me."
"But what if she did, Dia? What if she pulls through in whatever hospital she's in and talks? I'll be ruined and so will you! You can say goodbye to any chance of getting back into the Senate!"
"You're in no position to be panicking," Dia scoffed. "I'm the one who did your dirty work."
Infuriated, Sofi impulsively slapped Dia across the face. The senator's rage passed like a fleeting shadow, and she was left with regret. For Dia's gaze only intensified on the young, privileged, and spoiled senator. Without even a second thought, Dia furiously returned the slap. She struck Sofi so hard, that the senator was entirely thrown off balance. She struck the ground with a thud and her bodyguards came running. Still recovering from the slap, Sofi raised a hand to stave off the Mirialans. "I'm fine," she mumbled and rose to her feet.
"Let's get one thing clear here, girl." Dia growled. "I don't care what you can offer me. I don't care how much money you think keeps you safe from this hellish city at night. We're tethered together now. Equally guilty in this game of corruption. You don't get to sit on the sidelines. When you play dirty politics, no one comes out clean. If one of us goes down, so does the other. And if you ever raise a hand to me again, you're gonna lose it. You understand me?"
Sofi rubbed her reddening cheek and barely nodded. Despite her efforts to feel unthreatened, the young senator yelped when a call came to her communicator. She strutted over and quickly answered the device. "Yes?" she inquired.
"Well done, Senator Pru," a voice bellowed.
"Senator Taa," Sofi greeted and tried to appear composed.
Orn Free Taa chuckled. "I'll admit, I had my doubts about your resourcefulness. But you've pulled through. Given today's scare and Ranassa's unfortunate demise, votes for the chancellor's chain code system are increasing throughout the committees. We must meet when all of this quells to discuss your future."
"Yes sir," Sofi answered breathily. "Thank you, sir." As the call ended, she glared at Dia and took a deep breath. "This doesn't mean I'm not worried about Senator Mothma," she said. "We're not out of this yet."
A pair of distorted silhouettes loomed over a Jrade District rooftop. JJ and Riz eyed a familiar alleyway before slipping under the cover of darkness. Impatient, the Kage observed Bruno's hideaway and glanced at her friend. "Time's up," Riz murmured as they approached his home. "Bruno?" she beckoned and knocked on a faulty layer of bricks. "It's your friends from earlier. Bruno?" All it took was a brief nod from Riz to give JJ the 'go ahead.' With a mighty lunge, the Terellian Jango Jumper Force-pushed the door to Bruno's hideaway. Dust spewed as unsecured bricks rattled. Riz's glowing, pink eyes scoured the dark and decrepit space. "Bruno?" she beckoned.
"Where is he?" JJ asked while trudging throughout the room.
"Looks like he bailed on us," Riz grumbled. Frustrated, JJ flipped over a flimsy table and snapped it in two. "Calm down, will you?" the Kage scolded. "He couldn't have gotten far. It's not like he has any credits on him. Come on," Riz urged and patted Chaki's lightsaber on her belt. "We'll overturn the district if we have to."
JJ glared at the stolen saber. "Why do you get to carry it?" she scoffed.
"Because I'm the only one with any common sense around here," Riz countered. "But after we recruit Bruno, maybe he can foresee when you get yours." Her jeer went unappreciated as JJ rolled her eyes. Together, the duo departed from the alley to begin their hunt for Bruno.
Droid cleanup teams were hard at work to reestablish order in the upper city. The crashed airspeeder had been removed and construction crews arrived to secure the damaged skyscraper. Meanwhile, Security Force Lieutenant Tan Divo was hard at work gathering forensics. The older gentleman stood before several LEP 'rabbit droids' who were projecting evidential holos for him. Each projection depicted an alternative image of the crashed airspeeder. Despite his intense analysis, Divo still noticed Hans in the corner of his eye.
"We've got to stop meeting like this, Westgard," he snarked. "Do you and fatal vehicular accidents always go hand in hand?"
Hans rolled his eyes and said, "I don't understand what there is to analyze when the Bug is out there. We know who did it and should be spending all of our efforts hunting her down."
"Do we know who did it?" Divo inquired and Hans raised a brow. "Westgard, haven't you learned anything since the Herv Bobak case? Never rule out foul play, especially when the evidence doesn't add up."
"The hell are you going on about?" Hans grumbled while Anna and Mattias formed up behind him.
Divo gestured to his available holograms. "Victim: Senator Tobin Ranassa. Cause of death: A single blastershot to the face, nearly disfiguring him entirely and even exposing layers of bone." Anna and Mattias winced at the victim's evidence photo while Hans remained unfazed. "Only a heavy blaster could do such disastrous damage at point-blank range. Now look at the rest of the speeder's shot up interior. My guess is that Senator Mothma put up a fight against the shooter. Several blasts inevitably went off while the speeder careened out of control."
"I don't get what this changes," Hans scoffed. "The Bug was seen with a gun."
"True," Divo concurred. "But note its model." He approached a hologram from the camera droid who'd filmed Jee. "The Rodian is wielding a KYD-21. While it is a pistol favored among assassins-"
"Boom," Hans interrupted. "An assassin's pistol for the assassination of senators."
His brash and abrupt explanation went unacknowledged. "As I was saying..." Divo huffed. "Assassins favorite the KYD for its size and subtlety. But its lasers are, in turn...sharp and precise. That pistol would never leave such explosive damage in its wake. Our suspect used a heavy blaster. Anything from an S-5 to a DL-44."
"Can't you check security cameras?" Anna asked.
"Can't I..." Divo mumbled. "That was one of my first stops, General Dellian." His glower deepened when she seemed surprised by the acknowledgement. "I make it a point to know everyone," Divo insisted. "Nevertheless, skylane traffic control cameras were conveniently undergoing maintenance at the time of the incident. As was the nearby control tower, forcing anyone stuck in upper lane traffic to divert to this street."
"Where the shooter was waiting," Mattias realized.
"We're dealing with a premeditated and well-planned assassination attempt on both senators. Yet whomever staged this didn't count on Senator Mothma putting up this much of a fight."
"So you're saying this wasn't the Bug?" Hans blurted. "If not her, then who shot Senator Ranassa?"
"An excellent question," Divo considered. "One of which a deeper investigation will help us uncover. Because no matter how thorough criminals are to cover their tracks, mark my words. They always slip up somewhere."
"I don't believe this," Hans groaned and stomped off. "We can't just let the Bug get away."
"Hans," Anna called and chased after him. As she did so, Divo was approached by a police droid.
"Sir, you have a call from the Jedi Order," it computed.
"You heard the investigator," Anna told Hans. "She didn't even do it. The blasters don't match up!"
"Then why did she run?" Hans snapped. "Hm? She could've hidden the real weapon and that KYD-twenty-whatever-the-hell was just to throw us off. We need to find that menace and bring her to justice!"
"Okay," Anna growled and pulled Hans by the arm. He ripped himself free of her just as she dragged him towards the alley. "What is your problem?" she hissed. "Facts are being presented to you. You know she didn't do it and you're still going after her."
"Why are you defending that Rodian? After what she just did to me? I thought y-"
"Don't you say it," Anna whispered sharply, yet Hans persisted against her wishes.
He leaned in, lowering his voice just as she had. "I thought you loved me," he berated as she sulked. "And yet here you are, siding with that criminal and refusing to see reason. I bailed you out once for being foolish already."
"For kriff's sake, Hans. I was a Padawan back then. I also didn't ask you to bail me out."
"And yet I did. I took the fall for you because I love you. What are you doing to show me likewise?"
Anna frustratedly gritted her teeth. "I'm trying to keep you from making a stupid mistake. Now-" She took a deep breath and steadied herself. "The tip we received about Force sensitives? It came from-"
"The Bug?" Hans interrupted.
"Her name is Jee," Anna intoned while Hans glowered.
"Oh excuse me," he snarked and threw his arms up in exaggerated surrender. "Well 'Jee' is obviously leading us into some kind of trap."
"She told Mattias and I to remember the Slitters," Anna recalled. "And also mentioned Uscru. I think it's a clue for a meet up."
Hans completely missed the final portion of her statement. For has soon as he heard 'Uscru' his mind warped into a conundrum of thoughts regarding Celenia. His breaths quickened as he imagined potentially running into the Twi'lek once more. Masking his anxiety, Hans crossed his arms and rigorously shook his head. "Banthacrap," he mocked. "Coming here was a stupid idea."
"Wait, what?" Anna stammered.
"The Bug has you people fumbling in circles. I have better things to do with my time."
"Hans?"
"Thanks, but no thanks." He hollered and stormed away from the crime scene.
"Is it true?" Anna asked before he was out of earshot. Hans paused, keeping his back to her as he tilted his head. "That Jee was unarmed and you tried to kill her?" Instead of answering, Hans huffed and continued on his way.
Anna's imagination plagued her as she filled in a dreadful response for him. She shuddered briefly until a gentle hand fell upon her armored shoulder. Anna glanced up to see Mattias watching Hans depart. Rather than increase her pain on the subject, he focused on Jee's clue. "The Slitters were the first gang of traffickers that Jee had taken down when you were still a Padawan," Mattias said. "That apartment complex only went downhill from there and eventually closed. If Jee needed a secluded place to meet us, perhaps she meant that apartment."
Anna slowly nodded as the realization hit her. "It's worth a shot," she uttered.
Mattias smiled softly, noticing that she was still concerned about Hans. "You and I, returning to the site of one of our first assignments," he said. "Just like old times." His words prompted a sympathetic grin to reach Anna's lips.
The halls of Coruscant General had never felt so secure, yet eerie at the same time. Coruscant Guard troopers had locked down various checkpoints throughout the hospital and limited the amount of staff on certain paths. Tori Vica and Vedkan Nublar traversed the cold stillness, all while following one of the medical staff. "Not much farther now," Dr. Mardeth Grey said while leading the Jedi into a secured wing. Raising her badge, she was identified by a pair of scarlet-armored clones guarding a door. Once they cleared Tori and Vedkan, the trio proceeded into a secured patient's quarters.
Monitors beeped as an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty plagued the Jedi. They could sense the unease emanating from one of their own as he tended to Senator Mon Mothma. "Master Sheparr," Vedkan greeted with a bow.
The man clenched up after hearing such a title, yet forced a smile. "Please," he insisted. "Call me doctor."
Although confused at first, Vedkan respectfully obliged. "Apologies," the Trandoshan hissed.
"Dr. Sheparr," Tori greeted.
"Tori Vica?" Sheparr answered jovially. "The last time we saw each other, you were quite the ambitious youngling who sprained her ankle on the obstacle course."
Vedkan bit back a snicker while Tori accepted her past. "I thought I could do a double backflip," she mumbled.
"It's good to see you again," Sheparr assured. "Although, I only wish the circumstances were better." His calm, yet somber gaze listed towards Senator Mothma. The Chandrilan woman looked like she'd entered a soothing sleep. Her vitals remained stable while several bacta-laced bandages lined her face and arms.
"Will she make it?" Vedkan worried.
"She's stable," Sheparr answered.
"The senator isn't just a fighter behind the podium," Mardeth added while looking over her patient. "She'll make it through this."
"We're counting on it," Tori said. "I'm afraid that time is of the essence. The Jedi Council sent Vedkan and I to look in to this assassination attempt. After speaking with authorities, they couldn't find any evidence regarding the shooter's identity at the crime scene. We have concurred that Senator Mothma may be the only witness who can identify the true killer."
"I understand your urgency, but Senator Mothma still needs rest," Mardeth insisted.
"What if...we could use the Force?" Vedkan considered as all eyes turned to him.
"How so?" Sheparr grew concerned.
"I know it can be difficult-" the Trandoshan began. "-but the Force can mend the mind just as much as it can manipulate it. What if we could collectively reach the senator's subconscious? We'd do so non-invasively of course, but it could provide valuable insight into this situation."
While Sheparr contemplated the plan, Mardeth seemed genuinely concerned about Mothma's wellbeing. "This...process," Mardeth inquired. "How would you enter her mind consensually?"
"All living things are bound through the energy of the Force," Sheparr explained. "If we went through with this plan, we'd need to speak to her within and grant her full freedom to respond. And no matter how desperate we are for answers...If she says no, we stop," Sheparr asserted and his young companions nodded.
"Agreed," Tori affirmed while Vedkan nodded. "Together now."
"Be one with the Force," Sheparr said and raised a hand towards Mon Mothma. Tori and Vedkan mimicked his gesture while Mardeth protectively held the senator's hand. The Jedi trio closed their eyes and reached out through the Force. They focused on the living beings around them, ultimately directing their attention towards Mothma.
"Senator," Sheparr spoke up. "Senator Mothma. Can you hear me?" Mothma remained idle and sunken into her pillow. Keeping up their connection through the Force, the Jedi focused on her mind. "My name is Derr Sheparr," he said calmly. "I'm your doctor, here with two Jedi. We mean you no harm. If you can hear my voice, I'd like you to try moving for me."
Sheparr's pause seemed eternal until Mardeth suddenly gasped. Although Mothma's grip was weak, she gently wrapped her fingers around her doctor's hand. "J-...Jedi," Mothma whispered in her weary state.
"Yes," Sheparr responded. "They...we're all here to help you. May we enter your mind? Can you help us see what you saw?"
Mothma's hand squeezed Mardeth's. "...Yes," the senator croaked.
"Okay," Sheparr said before proceeding further. He, Tori and Vedkan stepped closer to solidify their Force connection. "Senator Mothma," Sheparr continued. "Who...attacked you?"
Tori's eye cracked open to observe the senator as she spoke. "W-...w-...woman," Mothma uttered.
"What did she look like?" Sheparr asked.
"Couldn't see...Face...Covered...Hood. Light...hazel eyes through the cowl and-" Mothma's brows furrowed as images of her attacker faded. Instead, she re-experienced the sound of blasterfire and started hyperventilating. "No," she uttered. "No please..."
"Okay that's it," Sheparr insisted and lowered his hand to sever the connection. "We've gone far enough," he told the other Jedi.
"But she barely told us anything," Vedkan lamented.
"Something's better than nothing," Tori answered. "It's at least a partial description that we can pass on to the authorities." She turned and bowed to Derr. "Thank you Mast-...Doctor Sheparr. May Senator Mothma have a speedy recovery."
As the duo departed, Sheparr and Mardeth were left to watch over Mothma. While the senator returned to a calm state, Mardeth decided to pose a question. "Why stay?" she asked as Sheparr raised his head. "In the Jedi Order, I mean. If you wish not to be associated with them, what's keeping you from leaving?"
Sheparr sighed. "A sense of duty, I suppose. The idea that I can change everyone's outlook on the Order by saving lives in here."
Mardeth squinted at him. "But how can you stand for the Jedi if you won't represent them? I'm just trying to understand."
"It's...complicated," Sheparr lamented.
"It doesn't seem all that complicated. "What are you doing now that you can't do without the Jedi Order?"
Sheparr pursed his lips. "It's not a matter of what I can't do without the Order. It's what I can't do with it." They didn't have to utter any further explanation. With a single and solemn look, Mardeth knew precisely what he meant.
"Years of doctrine from childhood," Sheparr recalled. "Or a partner to stand by my side." As they let each option sink in, Sheparr slowly stepped out of the room.
As Tori and Vedkan exited the hospital, the former was quick to call Anna on her holocomm. Relief took hold as the young Dellian answered. "Tori?" her projection asked. "What's going on?"
"Hey Anna," Tori replied. "I'm at Coruscant General with intel on the senator attack. I'll be relaying it to the Coruscant Security Force, but I was also told to inform you that you're off the case."
Anna's blue-tinted visage tried to feign astonishment. "Hold on, Tori. On whose authority?"
"The council's," she answered. "Everyone saw you on the HoloNews. They never assigned you to investigate this. We'll take it from here, before you get into more trouble."
Tori braced herself as Anna winced. "Yeah...about that," she chuckled nervously. "Not happening."
"What?" Tori choked.
"Mattias and I are on to something. I'm sure you'll hear about it on the HoloNews once we get it under control. In the meantime, I think it's great that you're getting info for the CSF."
Tori wrinkled her nose at her friend's remark. "Anna," she intoned. "I'm not messing around. Vedkan and I are actually assigned to handle this."
"I'm actually about to reach my destination," Anna suddenly blurted. "I'll talk to you later!"
"Wait, Anna!" Tori yelled, but she'd already cut the transmission. The Pantoran sighed and glanced at Vedkan. "I was really hoping to focus on one troublemaker today," she groused.
"How would you feel about adding another to that list?" Vedkan commented while swiping through his datapad. He spun it around to show Tori HoloNet footage from an upper city street.
"He just took my noodle bowl!" A Togruta teen wept into her recording device. "This stupid Jedi just came by, said he was hungry, and scooped up my bowl for 'Jedi business'! I like, can't right now with this. This is terrible. Like and follow to see my reaction of me watching this exact video of me."
"Any idea who that could be?" Vedkan asked.
"Unfortunately," Tori groaned. "But...if we find Hans, Anna won't be far behind."
No matter how much time had passed, the Uscru apartment complex hadn't changed since Anna and Mattias' first visit. As they disembarked from their airspeeder, Anna recalled traversing each rusted step alongside Officer Byra. "You'd think the Senate would've offered funding to fix this place up by now," Anna muttered.
"You'd think," Mattias quipped as they approached a familiar door. It even still had dented corners from where Jee had barged in. Using the Force, Mattias bypassed the rickety locking mechanism and let the door creak open. While the bodies of several gang members had long since been removed, the memories of Anna's mission returned. She recalled stepping into the ramshackle apartment for the first time and observing the dreadful scene.
"Think we're in the right place?" Anna remarked as she and Mattias entered the apartment.
"I'd say so," a voice answered and had the Jedi spinning on impulse. Together, the duo ignited their lightsabers and dipped the blades towards Jee's face. The Rodian remained unfazed as two green beams of plasma glowed before her. She kept lounging against a dust-coated sofa and said, "It took you long enough."
"Jee," Anna sighed and deactivated her lightsaber. Although more cautious, Mattias followed suit. "I hope you have a reason for bringing us out here. You're not doing yourself any favors without information."
"You can't tell me they actually believe I killed that senator, do they?" the Rodian inquired.
"Not all of them," Mattias retorted. "But breaking out of a Republic prison is the only cause they'll need to lock you up again."
Anna stepped closer as Jee scoffed. "Look, I know you let me take all the credit for the Battle of Scarif, but we know you stopped Monrak the Hutt. I want to help you, Jee. I want to believe you, but you've got to give me something. Does this have to do with that 'unfinished business' you spoke of on the beach?"
"One in the same, Red." Jee confessed. She rose from the sofa and started to pace. "I wandered the galaxy before becoming 'The Bug'. Without a Jedi Order to guide me, it was easy to feel like a freak with these powers." She peered down at her elongated digits and curled them. "Too strong for the rest of society...yet too late to fit in where I belong. And in my travels, I soon learned that there were other rejects just like me. Force-sensitives who were never found by Jedi, or who had discovered their powers after aging up. They were just as lost as I was, and so our quirks brought us together." Jee chuckled faintly. "For a while, life was good. We bent life's troubles to our will and felt unstoppable. It was only a matter of time before that power went to some of our heads." Jee's snout drooped as she recalled her companions' dark choices. "My fellow rejects had other ideas for what to use our gifts on. Surviving and thriving soon became cheating and stealing. I stopped standing for it when people got hurt. Good people. The gang put it to a vote, and I was the odd one out. Even after I left on my own path, I always hoped they'd see the error of their ways."
"How seldom that works out," Mattias lamented.
Jee shook her head at the thought. "You saw what became of Ruger. JJ and Riz are no different. They act in their own interests and don't care who gets hurt in the process. And to make matters worse, they now have a lightsaber." Jee clenched her fists and leaned towards the Jedi. "If they get their hands on this Force-sensitive in your city, their chaotic reign continues. I may not have a place in your Jedi Order. Hell, I'm still trying to find my place in this blasted galaxy. But if there's any such thing as the 'Will of the Force'...then I feel it calling me to stop them."
Anna and Mattias exchanged a dutiful glance. "Then in the name of the Force-" Anna huffed.
"Where can we find this Force-sensitive?" Mattias asked.
"Uscru District," Hans mumbled while finishing off a noodle bowl. "Banthacrap." With a gurgling belch, he flung the emptied bowl at a trash can and completely missed. Hans was about to keep trudging along in his misery when someone chuckled from the nearby bench.
"Aren't Jedi supposed to have super-reflexes or something?" a haggard Snivvian cackled. His rotund nostrils quivered between his haughty snorts. Dark, beady eyes listed towards the fallen noodle bowl as he said, "You suck."
"Shut your mouth, pig-nose." Hans spat, yet the Snivvian laughed on.
"Oooo," he heckled while twiddling his fingers like a Force-user. "So scary."
Hans angrily pressed his tongue to his cheek and observed his surroundings. The Snivvian was much too busy mocking him to realize that Hans was checking for witnesses. By the time he opened his eyes, the Jedi was already lunging at him. Yanking the heckler up by the collar, Hans dragged him off of the bench and into the closest alley. Gone was the Snivvian's jovial laughter as panic fell upon him. Once they were fully shrouded in the alley's darkness, Hans slammed the Snivvian against a wall. The thud of flesh against duracrete was all the more unsettling as the heckler sniveled.
"Look at me," Hans demanded while keeping a firm grip on his collar. When the Snivvian rapidly shook his head, Hans brought his tone to a feral growl. Gritting his teeth, he leaned in and snarled. "I said...Look at me."
Sweat seeped down the Snivvian's furrowed temples as he slowly peeked. Horror took hold as he observed Hans' inky silhouette. Whatever dim, city light slipped into the alley was only able to highlight Hans' knitted brows. That twitching anger only built as he slowly raised his head in the shadows. "Do you know who I am?" he asked and the Snivvian hurriedly shook his head again. "Yeah you do."
"No," the Snivvian whimpered.
"You think I'm a loser," Hans hissed. "Is that it? That I'm a loser?"
"No!" the Snivvian begged. It mattered not what the citizen said, for Hans already had his own reaction set in motion. The Snivvian's heart sank when he heard something unclip in the darkness. Before he could even let himself wonder what it was, a green blade ignited between his and Hans' faces. The Snivvian bit back a yelp and squirmed against the wall. His heels dug into the heaps of grime collected beneath him.
"I know you know what this is," Hans whispered while bringing his lightsaber closer. The plasma's glow highlighted Hans' cold glower as the Snivvian carefully nodded. "You have no idea how many people I've killed with it."
"Oh no...no no no...please no!" the Snivvian sobbed. "I'm sorry!"
"I know you are," Hans assured in a calming tone. "And I'll make sure you remember that. Because if you ever talk to me again. If I ever see you again...If you ever tell anyone about this..." Hans leaned beyond his blade and towards the trembling Snivvian's ear. "I'll kriffing slaughter you," he threatened before swiftly swiping his saber. In a mere second, Hans' blade had lowered and the Snivvian was screaming on the ground. His shaking hands rushed to his face, where a sizzling and cauterized gash had formed. Having literally scarred the Snivvian for life, Hans stood over him and flailed the blade. "Run!" he barked, almost taunting. "Run, damn you!"
Horrified, the Snivvian clutched his face and dashed in the opposite direction. He stumbled, tripped, tumbled, and crawled to get away from his assailant. Hans just stood there for a moment, basking in his saber's ongoing hum. He didn't even feel the satisfied smirk he'd been toting across his face. As he celebrated his exertion of power with a faint chuckle, his eyes burnt with a brief flicker of yellow. The ominous hue came to pass as Hans calmed down, and his eyes returned to their emerald shimmer.
Hans took his time departing from the alley. After clipping his lightsaber back and straightening out his robes, he continued his walk with a confident grin. He only made it a few steps before a Jedi airspeeder descended at his side. Glancing over, he observed Tori and Vedkan in the front seats. "Finally," he rejoiced. "I knew they'd send me a ride eventually. Take me home, will ya?"
"We're not a taxi, Hans." Tori answered from the controls.
"Then what good are you people?" he groaned.
Vedkan hissed at Hans' attitude, but Tori calmed him with a raised hand. "We need your help," she said.
"Who doesn't?" Hans interrupted.
Tori frustratedly clenched the controls, pretending they were Hans' throat. Forcing a smile, she glared at him and continued. "We need to track down the upper city shooter. I believe Anna has a lead, but she wouldn't reveal where she was going."
"Why would I know?" Hans scoffed and crossed his arms.
"We don't need him," Vedkan growled until Tori continued.
"Because you work closely with her," the Pantoran intoned. "You were both at the crime scene, yet now you split up. Did she get the best of you or something?"
Hans' eyes widened at Tori's accusation. "Best of me? She wishes. I taught her everything she knows."
"Well then why aren't you with her?" Tori asked, concealing a smirk now that Hans had fallen into her trap.
"Because-" Hans' lip quivered. "Well...she's stubborn! She insisted on pursuing a lead without me!"
"I see," Tori replied. "You can take us to this lead then?"
"Of course I can," Hans boasted. "Just...lemme make a call first. Knowing Anna, she might've switched locations on me."
"Do what you have to do," Tori insisted as Hans activated his communicator. While he called Anna, Tori discreetly fistbumped Vedkan in the airspeeder.
Riz and JJ perched atop a Jrade District billboard and scoured the evening streets for their target. "Think he bolted?" JJ uttered.
"No," Riz affirmed. "He couldn't have gotten far."
The Jango Jumper stretched her lanky legs across the signage. "You've been saying that. For hours. We've scoured every corner of this kriffing stinkhole. Bruno hasn't even hit his usual spot to eat."
Riz's pink eyes suddenly widened. The Kage raised her head as a sudden thought dawned upon her. "Unless-" she proposed and JJ raised a brow. "Bruno never left his home."
Without another word, the duo raced back to Bruno's alley hideaway. JJ leaned against a wall, skeptically crossing her arms while Riz scoured the ransacked dwelling. "What are we even looking for?" JJ asked. "We turned this place upside-down."
Riz felt along the crumbled flooring before focusing on the walls. "But not inside out," the Kage realized. She rushed towards the nearest wall and pressed her palms against it. Strands of her disheveled, blonde bun fell as she listened closely. Closing her eyes, she reached out through the Force and sensed for any peculiar vibrations. JJ watched as her partner inched her way across the wall. Step by step, she felt across its faulty structure until ultimately making her way to JJ. "Move," she said while raising a hand. JJ stepped back as Riz unleashed a powerful Force-pull.
The exertion was as chaotic as it was sporadic. Mounds of dust puffed into a tremendous cloud while slender beams collapsed under pressure. JJ was quick to join in, and Force-pushed the dust cloud away. With the filthy shroud cleared, the duo glimpsed a hooded figured hiding within a crevasse. "Well, well..." Riz remarked. "There's our wall rat."
Terrified, Bruno zipped through the wall's opening and bolted for the entryway. He could only make it so far into the alley before JJ's Force Speed caught up with him. She cut Bruno off entirely and had him spiraling to the ground. "Why the rush, little man?" the Jango Jumper teased. Bruno hugged himself as his rats worriedly squeaked within his cloak.
"I-...I don't want any trouble," he stammered.
"And neither do we," Riz assured while exiting the hideaway from behind. "You have a gift, friend. And we just want to make sure it's put to good use."
Bruno gulped as his eyes swayed frantically between the women. "And what use is that?" he dared to ask.
Riz and JJ exchanged a stern glance. "You leave that to us," the Kage insisted.
"That's enough!" a Rodian's voice shouted from above. It had her adversaries clenching up and turning their attention to the nearby rooftop.
Helmetless...weaponless...but far from broken, Jee stood tall with Anna and Mattias at her sides. "Impossible," JJ uttered.
"Should've known that it wouldn't be that easy to get rid of you," Riz scoffed. "And you brought friends...cute."
"In the name of the Galactic Republic-" Anna began and sparked up her lightsaber.
"-stand down and come quietly!" Mattias added while activating his own.
In that instant, JJ used Force Speed to dart across the alley. Riz ignited her stolen saber while Bruno scurried for cover. "We've got them!" Anna assured Jee. "Save the Force-sensitive!" Jee leapt down to street level just as Riz rushed her. Before the Kage could fulfill a saber swing, she ended up locking blades with Anna. "I don't think so," the redhead grunted before disengaging.
Refusing to back down, Riz fully lunged at Anna. The Kage combined heavy saber swings with fluid-like kicks. Her race was notorious for their precise martial arts, and Anna was forced on the defensive. Ducking under one of Riz's kicks, Anna delivered a mighty slash of her own. The strike was enough to break Riz's parry and leave her open to a punch across the face. Anna smirked as she made the Kage's lip bleed. "You want some more?" she taunted. "Come and get it."
Enraged, Riz called upon the Force to hurl anything at her disposal towards Anna. Trash can lids clanged against the Jedi's torso. "Kriff! Quit it!" Anna growled. Several bundled wrappers and a soggy board clunked at her legs. "Kriff! Quit it!" A living, breathing, tooka cat came flying at Anna's face. "ARE YOU KRIFFING KIDDING ME?"
Bruno backed himself into a corner and used several trash cans for cover. His hideaway was short-lived when Riz used the cans as more ammunition against Anna. Exposed, Bruno hugged himself as a mysterious figure closed in. "Stay back!" he begged. "Please!"
"Hey," Jee spoke softly. "It's alright. I promise, I'm not gonna hurt you-" Suddenly, JJ zoomed by and clotheslined Jee to the ground. The Rodian collapsed with a thud and her foe was quick to return. By the time Jee shook off her daze, JJ was raising a boot to stomp on her face. A lightsaber's hum had JJ withdrawing as Mattias leapt into action. JJ spun away from his green saber and pressed against a wall. As Jee and Mattias steadied themselves, JJ launched with another blast of Force Speed. Throwing her hands forward, she carried her momentum to Force-push Jee across the alley. Mattias resisted, raising his own hands to call on the Force.
Jee tumbled against the duracrete and ultimately fell before a trio of silhouettes. She slowly glanced up to see an all too familiar face alongside two other Jedi. "Well, well well..." Hans taunted while crossing his arms. "Look who we've got here." He smirked at Tori and Vedkan. "It's just like I said. The Bug was behind everything and trying to make her getaway."
"Look-" Jee huffed while slowly standing. "I know we don't have the best history, but you've got this all wrong."
"Stow it," Hans snapped. "You can tell us all about it when you're back in Republic prison." He activated his lightsaber and Tori raised her brows. "If you come quietly."
"Hans," Tori asserted. "She's unarmed."
"Is any Force user really unarmed?" Hans snarked and advanced towards Jee.
"You're not bringing me in," the Rodian said and backed away.
"Fine," he jeered. "We'll do it the hard way." Hans lunged at Jee as Tori moved to intervene. His saber would make contact before the Pantoran could reach them, but Jee had a plan of her own. Hans was so bold...so confident in his overhead swing. As his momentum came forward, Jee easily weaved away. Dodging his swing, Jee immediately countered with a swift punch to Hans' gut. She gave him zero time to recover, and kneed him in the face as soon as he buckled forward. Her conclusive Force push sent Hans colliding with a toppled garbage can.
"Sorry," Jee panted as Tori and Vedkan closed in. "Just taking out the trash." Despite Hans' flight, his fallen lightsaber had rolled towards Jee's feet. She glared at its gleaming, Haysian smelt hilt and curled her fingers.
"Don't," Tori warned. "Don't you do it."
"Get on your knees and come quietly," Vedkan instructed.
"I'm not the criminal here," Jee whispered while watching the Trandoshan slowly reach for his saber.
"If you are innocent, then you should have no fear in surrendering." Vedkan continued.
"You put too much faith in your system," Jee countered and noticed Tori inching up.
The Pantoran's eyes widened as Jee's fingers uncurled. "Don't do it!" she shouted as Jee proceeded. The Rodian reluctantly called Hans' lightsaber to her and sparked it up.
"I won't go back!" she asserted and dipped the green blade towards her Jedi adversaries. A flurry of blue plasma illuminated the alley as Tori and Vedkan activated their blades.
"Together," the Trandoshan hissed.
"Go!" Tori ordered as they engaged Jee.
As their lightsabers clashed in the lower alley, Anna dueled Riz on the nearby fire escape. Having run out of objects to throw, the Kage resorted to Force-bending bars in an attempt to trap Anna. "You really think that's gonna work?" Anna mocked. With a swift swipe of her saber, she sliced the bent railings and freed herself. Only then did she realize that she'd fallen directly into Riz's trap. Her foe had made it so any rails Anna sliced would sever the fire escape's foundation.
"Yes," Riz answered nonchalantly as Anna collapsed with the lower rails.
"Kriffing hell!" the young Dellian cursed while tumbling down. Instead of crashing against the duracrete, she found herself landing in a robed embrace. Eyes wide in astonishment, Anna soon realized she was in Hans' arms.
"Glad I caught you," he quipped as she hurriedly set herself down.
"Hans," Anna rejoiced and observed his bruised nose. "You okay?"
"Oh fine," he assured. "Thanks for answering my call."
Flourishing her saber, Anna offered a nod and focused on the Kage above them. "Save the thanks for later, babe. We've got bigger problems."
"Right," Hans concurred and reached for his saber. Several bare pats were enough to have Anna rolling her eyes.
"Where the hell's your lightsaber?" she asked.
"I-...but-...it was..." Staving off his fury, Hans gathered the fallen railing pieces with the Force. "Kriff it. I don't need a blade to deal with this amateur."
Accepting his challenge, Riz pounced towards the duo. She engaged Anna first, parrying her blade twice as Hans flung the metal bars. After blocking Anna's swing, Riz leapt up and kicked two of the bars back at Hans. One struck his shins while the second smacked across his chest. Achy and winded, the last thing Hans expected was to see Riz darting towards him. The Kage roundhouse kicked him into the alley wall and drove her saber to impale him. Anna sprung into action just in time and batted Riz's saber away. As the women remained locked in a deadly duel, Hans collapsed with even more bruises.
Mattias ascended to the rooftop overlooking the conflict. Keeping his guard up, he observed his eerily calm surroundings. Where are you? he thought and gently closed his eyes. Reaching out through the Force, he listened to every sound in his vicinity. Honking airspeeders, hollering pedestrians, and saber strikes became a unified conundrum of sounds. As Mattias took in each, he suddenly felt a disturbance shifting across the rooftop. Steel clamored as if a high-speed object had rattled across. Opening his eyes at the precise moment, Mattias spun to perform an upward slash. A green glow came upon both his and JJ's face as she sped towards him. Her fist was inches from his face just as he completed his strike. Plasma met flesh as their motions followed through. JJ's severed forearm clanged against a gutter while both she and Mattias lost their footing.
Their screams were enough to catch Anna and Riz's attention. The duo briefly halted their duel and watched as their companions plummeted into what remained of the fire escape. Bolts came undone from where Anna had severed the rest. Mattias grabbed one side of the ledge while JJ held on to the other. Although the Jedi's age and spinal cybernetic struggled to keep him up, so too did JJ struggle with her only remaining arm.
"Mattias!" Anna called out, even as Riz struck again. "Hold on!"
"Trying!" Mattias grunted as the railing kept grinding. "I'm...slipping!"
"Riz!" JJ winced. "Help me! I can't...hold on!" Instead of answering, her so-called partner used the opportunity to keep dueling Anna. "Riz!" the Jango Jumper called out until her chest ached from the grip. Her pleas were a faded blur to her raging 'friend'. While Anna fought to keep Riz at bay, even the grinding of their lightsabers couldn't deafen the collapsing fire escape. The upper level dislodged, sending both Mattias and JJ flailing to the duracrete below.
"No!" Anna cried out. In a fit of fury, she took a heavy swing at Riz. The strike was strong enough to send her opponent staggering back. In Anna's brief moment of freedom, she wildly scooped her hand towards Mattias. Although it was poorly executed, Anna Force-pulled with enough strength to send Mattias spiraling towards her. Master and former apprentice collided, tumbling together against the ground. While they recovered, JJ met an entirely different fate. Hans hadn't managed to use all of the fallen railing pieces. As a result, many of them remained in a collected heap, their steaming...sharp tips jutting towards the darkening sky. Hearing several of the rails puncture JJ was enough to snap Riz out of her angered state.
"J-...JJ?" the Kage uttered while slowly turning towards the crash. Her pink eyes widened with horror at the sight of her fallen ally. Instead of considering all which had transpired, Riz's rage returned. "Y-...you," she growled and pointed the saber at her foes. "You did this!"
"If you abuse the Force-" Mattias murmured as Anna helped him up. "-it will only lead to ruin." Refusing to listen further, Riz charged at Anna and Mattias.
Preparing themselves, the duo flourished their green blades. "Just like the old days?" Anna queried.
"Set 'em up..." Mattias began.
"Shut 'em down!" Anna finished as they charged over to engage.
The Jedi were like synchronized machines dashing alongside each other. No amount of time since Anna's apprenticeship could remove the combat chemistry between her and Mattias. Coordinating their attack, they initiated 'The Setup'. Staying on the offensive, Anna spun her saber to beat back Riz's defense. When she recovered to attack Anna's opposite side, Mattias was ready with a strike of his own. Keeping Riz cornered, Anna waited for Riz to retaliate against Mattias. Surely enough, she focused her next attack towards his torso. With the setup completed, Anna moved in to block the incoming attack. With her momentum completely disrupted, Riz was unprepared for Mattias to weave between her and Anna. The elder raised his blade to her neck and forced her to freeze.
Sweaty and panting, the combatants paused under the hum of their sabers. Rather than deal a justified killing blow, Mattias tightened his grip and commanded, "Yield." Teeming with reckless anger, the Kage started to raise her saber regardless. "Yield!" Mattias bellowed deep enough to make Riz reconsider. Her twitching eyes quelled as she glared at his steaming lightsaber. And as the adrenaline drained from her body, so too did her grip on Chaki's saber loosen. The blade deactivated and clacked to the floor as Riz reluctantly bowed her head. Even as Mattias withdrew a pair of binders from his belt, Riz found herself glancing at JJ's body. "I'll take her from here," Mattias assured Anna. "Find the others."
"On it," Anna affirmed and ran towards the sound of clashing sabers. She was almost to the conflict when she noticed Bruno hiding along the ground. The poor man had gathered what fallen bricks he could salvage to cover himself up. "Hey!" Anna realized and caused Bruno to gasp. Still she knelt beside him and said, "Easy, friend. It's okay. I'm one of the good ones. Let's get you out of here." Bruno repeatedly shook his head and Anna frustratedly bit her lip. "Come on," she reached for his arm and he instantly shuddered.
"No!" he pleaded. "Don't touch me...please just leave me to-"
Tired and impatient, Anna no longer considered Bruno's emotional state. It didn't matter how he was feeling nor what planet they were on. Treating him like a civilian in a warzone, she knelt down and forcefully grabbed him. "Alright let's go!" Anna asserted as her hand snatched Bruno's. In that very instant, it felt as though a burst of electricity had pulsed throughout their palms. Bruno's grip suddenly tightened, yet Anna felt immobilized to pick him up. Tremors in the Force rippled through their bodies and into their cognitive states.
"What...what is this?" Anna panted as sweat trickled from both of their faces. Her heart raced as Bruno mirrored her panicked expressions. Despite being alone together in that moment, Anna couldn't shake the feeling of overwhelming dread. This somber shadow morphed into an orb of sadness within her. The pain became insurmountable as Anna felt her knees giving out. Bruno winced and slowly opened his eyes. As a greenish tint faded from his pupils, only tears remained. He fell back against the alley wall and stared at Anna in pure anguish. "What?" she asked, still trying to comprehend her own feelings. "What did you do to me?" Anna snapped, yet Bruno kept weeping. His tears were silent as he heartbreakingly stared at Anna. "You'd better start making sense or-" Jee's echoing grunt reeled Anna back into the moment. "Kriffing hell," she cursed and staggered towards the sound.
As Bruno was left to recollect himself, Anna pursued the ongoing lightsaber duel. Vedkan and Tori had Jee cornered but far from defeated. It didn't take long for the Rodian to find a pattern in the duo's saber technique. While Tori presented herself as an offensive duelist, Vedkan preferred to stay on the defensive. As a result, Jee tailored her attacks to play opposites against her opponents. As Tori engaged with her guard shotos, Jee matched her intensity and took her head on. By breaking Tori's attacks, Jee forced the Pantoran on the defensive. Any openings would require Vedkan to go on the attack, and the Trandoshan's slower strikes were easily countered.
As Anna arrived across the alley, she couldn't help but admire Jee's ability. Without a sliver of temple training, she'd been able to hold her own against multiple Jedi in several instances. But even so, Jee was far from immortal. Exhaustion set in once Tori set her sabers to spin. The rapid spirals were nearly impossible to block together and pushed Jee back on defense. "Give it up!" Tori yelled over the whir of her blades. "There's nowhere left to run!"
"I'm not going back into your system!" Jee brayed as her heels bumped against the wall. Realizing how trapped she truly was, Jee prepared to fight to the death.
"That's enough!" Anna shouted, prompting her fellow Jedi to pause. Tori, Vedkan, and Jee quickly turned as Anna slid to them. "It's over, Tori. We stopped the Force abusers."
"F-...Force abusers?" Tori inquired while keeping her sabers trained on Jee. "I don't understand. Isn't she the one who-"
"Jee was helping us," Anna explained.
Vedkan's scaly brows furrowed. "With a case you were never assigned to," he hissed.
"That's because Jee trusted Mattias and I," Anna said. "More so than she ever would our government. And it's my fault for that." Jee peered over at Anna in astonishment. "When Jee was wrongfully arrested, I promised to get her out of prison. But this system and I failed her. So she broke out-"
"Killing a police officer," Vedkan recalled.
"Aurra Sing killed an officer," Anna intoned and gestured to Jee. "That woman would never take an innocent life. In fact, she's the reason we saved literally millions during the Battle of Scarif." Tori's befuddled gaze alternated between Anna and Jee. "It's all true," the young Dellian continued. "She saved us and we knew that if her actions were brought to light...she'd never get the recognition she deserved." Anna took a deep breath to recollect herself. "Jee didn't have the luxury of Jedi training when she was our age. Her seeker died and she never made it to the temple. Instead, she made the conscious choice to understand her abilities on her own accord. Jee understood that she had a destiny and no prison of ours nor her own making would stop her from finding it."
Destiny, Tori thought as she recalled a conversation with her second mentor.
"What's my destiny, master?" she'd asked Master Meliz Sumar.
"I'll never lie to you, Tori," Meliz had answered. "So in truth, I don't know what your destiny is. But I believe that every day you spend walking the path of Light gives you a chance to discover it. In the end, you'll have a choice to make just as we all will. The kind of choice that will determine who you truly are. In those moments, perhaps your destiny will make a little more sense. And you'll be able to look back on all of it and say 'This, I have done'."
To Vedkan's astonishment, Tori deactivated her lightsabers. The Trandoshan kept his weapon up until he received an approving nod. "Then why were you really here?" Tori asked the Rodian.
Jee sighed. "Well I was gonna tell you before that attack dog of yours came at me." Anna cringed, realizing she meant Hans. "I'm not the only non-Jedi wandering this galaxy with Force abilities. And some of those who abuse those gifts were seeking to take advantage of others. I couldn't let that happen." Jee gestured to Bruno as he timidly peeked from around the corner. "That man deserves to make his own destiny as much as I do. And not have his choice stripped away from him."
"I don't understand," Vedkan said. "The council assigned us to find Senator Ranassa's killer. If this was an entirely different ordeal...then who attacked the senators?"
A puzzled silence fell across the group. Jee would be the first to break it as she said, "Given your system's corruption, I'd look within. But my days of venturing on Coruscant are numbered after this ordeal."
"Where will you go?" Anna asked. "This war is only intensifying in the Outer and Mid Rims. I'm sure that together, we can get your name cleared."
"Oh Red," Jee sighed and gently patted her cheek. "Always coming to my rescue. I appreciate it, but I believe that there will be a life beyond this war. It's gotta end soon, right? The Jedi are leading the war effort!" She let her passive-aggressive snark unsettle her Jedi audience. Approaching Bruno, Jee gently nodded to him. "I'm so sorry for everything the others put you through," she said. "I suppose I'm still figuring out my place in all of this too. But maybe we can find it together?"
Bruno's gaze wandered as he considered Jee's proposition. "Thing is," he whispered. "I can only hurt people."
"I used to think the same about myself," Jee answered. "And there will always be those who try to take advantage of us and tell us how wrong we are to exist. But...there will also be those who stand with us and support our gifts."
Bruno slowly nodded and whispered, "I suppose that doesn't sound so bad." Rats squeaked within his sleeves, prompting him to chuckle nervously. Jee laughed along and guided him out of the alley.
On their way out, she paused and glanced over at the Jedi. "For what it's worth-" she added. "-the Order's lucky to have dutiful Jedi like you." Realizing she still had Hans' lightsaber, she twirled the hilt and tossed it to Anna. "Except that red-haired fellow. I'd keep my eyes on him."
"What was that about?" Tori asked while Anna glowered at the lightsaber.
"Tori," she prepared to answer with her own question. "Did...Hans bring you both here?"
"Yes. He said you 'insisted on pursuing a lead without him'."
That was all Anna needed to hear to have her pursing her lips. "Will you excuse me for a moment?" she hissed and stormed off with Hans' lightsaber.
After securing binders on Riz, Mattias held her in place while emergency sirens rang out in the distance. The master could sense his captive's overwhelming dismay. Grief clashed with frustration as she uttered, "She's...gone. JJ's gone and it's all your fault!" the Kage lashed out, leering at Mattias.
He took a deep breath and composed himself before answering. "I was as doomed as she was," he answered. "But our fates were tied to the company we kept." Riz's thin brows furrowed as she hung her head in shame. She was at a loss for words while troopers from the Coruscant Guard arrived via gunship. While she didn't speak up, her thoughts raced as she thought about how JJ had passed. A scorched railing...through her chest, she reminded herself. Bruno spoke of a great warmth in both of our chests. Riz's eyes widened in horror as she feared what his prediction meant for her.
"Master Mattias," Commander Fox greeted as he led his men. The red-armored clone tilted his head towards Riz. "I take it that this is our real culprit?"
"I'm afraid not," Mattias confessed to the clone's confusion.
"Then the Bug was behind this?" Fox inquired.
"She wasn't either. But this person was threatening innocent lives."
"We'll take her in for processing," Fox assured. "But the supreme chancellor will want answers regarding who was behind the senatorial shootings." As Mattias also considered the potential culprit, he glanced over at Tori and Vedkan. He knew their investigation was far from over and only hoped other senators weren't at risk.
By the time Hans came to, he could see three Annas swirling above him. A quick shake of his head reoriented his vision as she glowered. "Could you look any grouchier?" Hans groaned. "You could at least try smiling when you see me."
"You lied," Anna growled and Hans knitted his brows. "I spoke with Tori. You made it sound like this whole operation was your idea. Like I somehow hijacked it from you. Why the-"
"Anna," Hans tried to interrupt, yet she persisted.
"Why the kriff would you do that? I offered for you to tag along. Gave you yet another chance to help us. Yet I find out you were trying to flip the whole thing on me? Why?"
"Well if you'd let me talk, I'll explain." Hans jeered. Wincing through his aches, he frustratedly rose to his feet. "You're so emotional sometimes, I swear..." Straightening his robes and posture, Hans stared Anna down. "I thought you could use some backup. Tori and the lizard were asking questions. I had to tell them something, otherwise how would they believe me?"
"You could've told them the truth. How many other lies are you spinning?"
"Oh come on," Hans scoffed. "Enough. I'm not gonna deal with you painting me as some pathological liar. I thought you knew me better than that."
"I thought so too," Anna murmured and let her eyes wander.
Her tone had Hans advancing to her. "Wh-what is that supposed to mean?"
"Jee said-..." Anna bit her lip and tried to rephrase. "I...heard...that you tried to kill the Rodian suspect. Is that true?"
Hans paused, letting his mind hastily weave a response. "Well it was her or me. That's how duels work. You know that."
Anna slowly shook her head and stared back at him. "But she was unarmed." She raised a hand when his lips merely parted. "And don't you dare tell me otherwise. I know she was unarmed."
Hans' nostrils flared as he slouched forward. "Remember my father...Anna?" he asked. Just bringing up Welm's existence had flashbacks sparking in Anna's mind. She still saw Hans' Force-pushing until his father's neck snapped. Noticing her discomfort, Hans stepped closer. "He was unarmed too. Was I wrong to kill him?" He exaggerated a turn of his head and awaited a non-existent response. "Hm?"
"I-" Anna whispered. "I...don't know."
"Oh good," Hans reassured. "Because I couldn't even fathom the possibility of you calling me wrong for that." He rested his hands on her shoulders. His touch was gentle and loving at first, yet it tightened with each passing word. "After you killed a very much unarmed Dr. Morzetti, right?"
"Hans," Anna choked. "That wasn't the same. I told you that in confidence and-"
"We do a lot in confidence," Hans intoned and tightened his grip on her shoulders. "Like our 'episode of passion' back on the ship after ending my father. Or was that wrong too?"
"Hans," Anna whispered sharply. Her wild eyes darted beyond his shoulder. "Someone could hear!"
He smirked. "You're afraid."
"No I'm not-"
"You are afraid," Hans doubled down. "Because you and I both have feelings that we'd like to keep hidden. Past actions we've entrusted to each other. So I know that when I tell you I had every justification to try and kill the Bug...you very much believe me." His eyes narrowed, and their green glow had become absorbed by a darkened emptiness. "Right?" he asserted.
"Yeah..." Anna answered with a hint of uncertainty.
It was enough to a coax a grin out of Hans as he released her shoulders. "I didn't doubt you for a second," he said before stepping back. "You know I love you." As they parted ways, Anna was left with an odd sensation of unease surrounding their encounter.
A bulky, AA-9 freighter soared out of Coruscant's atmosphere. The planet's tetrad of moons gleamed against its azure hull. Coruscant's nightly cityscape became a minimized blur as the freighter prepared for a jump to lightspeed. Within its humble compartments, many weary refugees gathered in a cramped cafeteria. Without an unknown future in sight, a droid-cooked meal was the only guarantee for many refugees. Jee stood by while a kitchen droid served nuna filets on to each of her plates. The droid's benevolent demeanor quickly changed as someone's protocol unit attempted to cut the line. "No droids!" the cook ironically computed. "Get outta here!"
Jee rolled her eyes at the display and brought her food to a nearby table. There she found Bruno fiddling with the edge of his seat. "You've got to keep your strength up," Jee insisted. "It's a long flight to Corellia. But once we get there, we can get a fresh start." Jee's snout quivered when Bruno didn't even acknowledge her. "Hey man...fresh starts are a good thing." She noticed him staring out the window and added, "No one's gonna come after you anymore. I promise."
"It-...it's not that," Bruno confessed and folded his hands together.
"If it's about your power, we can work on it. I'll teach you how to control the Force within you."
"I appreciate it," Bruno answered. "But it doesn't take away the pain of the past. What I saw." Jee tilted her head as Bruno continued. "During the alley fight, one of the Jedi...touched me." He flinched just thinking about it. "She was only trying to help. I didn't mean to see all of the-...the-"
"She?" Jee queried. "Bruno...was this Jedi a redhead?" Her body stiffened when he nodded. "If you feel comfortable enough...what exactly did you see?"
Bruno swallowed hard and his eyes trailed off as if searching for each detail. "I saw her," he confessed. "Knelt within flames. She held another in her arms."
"Who?" Jee asked. "Did you see who she was holding?"
Bruno's eyes swelled with tears as the brutal details returned. "Another woman," he wept. "Blonde...Maybe around her age." Jee brows furrowed while Bruno continued. "Their hands...their...bodies-" He looked up at her as tears rolled down his cheeks. "-were covered in blood."
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading Part 2 of the Midseason Return special! My friends and dearest readers, I cannot stress how good it is to be back. I appreciate and love you all. This story is only going to keep growing and I value your ongoing support. I'll see you next Friday for Chapter: 108 - Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Long Live Imagination and May the Force be with you!