AN: Thanks for all your continued support. Special thanks to Tracyn and Fractional for their continued help in beta reading this story.
Chapter 54 - Hunting for Answers"It seems that they're finally stopping at Falleen," Des observed the tracker, where they all were on the command bridge.
"Falleen has had some issues with corporate corruption, but it's still a Republic world, and one that has a respected monarchy," Taria said. "This shouldn't be a Romin situation."
"We'll have to be careful about utilizing the fleet or the Kandosii," Asuna agreed, using the name of their 'mercenary' outfit. "I doubt the local government will let us shut down their spaceports without concrete proof of where Omega, Zan Arbor, and Teda are . . . and without a set timeline. It might honestly be worth just dropping a squad to support you Jedi and then having the fleet move on and take one of those anti-piracy jobs."
"With the heat on our Order currently, that might not be a bad idea," Kastor agreed.
"It would be good for our coffers as well," Des said.
"That's a good poi-" Kastor started to say.
"Kas, incoming communication from the Jedi Council," Maro Olen, their Antarian Ranger Support Communications Specialist, called over.
Kastor looked at his fellow Jedi, who were all confused as well. It had only been three days since they'd departed Romin.
They all quickly moved over to the comms system where Mace, Adi, Plo, Depa, and Shaak Ti were being holoprojected to them.
"Masters," Kastor greeted politely.
"What has happened?" Obi-Wan asked.
"The Sith have officially come out into the open," Depa answered solemnly.
"They already did," Taria said in confusion. "On Chandrila."
"That was only the tip of the iceberg, I'm afraid," Plo said gravely. "They have officially sent a diplomat to the Republic to declare their new Empire and mark their current territory, and declared their intent to reclaim their old territory, which will eventually take them into Republic space. Since it's all outside of Republic space currently, and no declaration of war has been made, there is little we can do now, but the Senate is taking the threat of invasion in order to reclaim worlds like Almas seriously. Master Vos's spies are reporting that emissaries are also showing up and starting open negotiations to align themselves with the Separatist movement."
Everyone on the Darasuum exchanged grim glances.
"Where have they currently claimed?" Allara asked, and the Council members focused on her.
"Ziost has been declared as their capital, and they've reclaimed many of the furthest planets, the ones we have no claim or trade over, which includes most of the sacred worlds for the Sith. However, they have yet to reclaim Korriban or Kraysis II. We feel it is only a matter of time," Mace said.
"Who is their Emperor?" Kastor asked.
"That is currently unknown," Shaak Ti said.
"Knight Damsin," Adi said. "We wish you to join with Master Vos to try and get a better picture of how close this new Sith Empire and the Separatist movement are. Both groups have ties to Granta Omega, but the Separatists are much larger than even Omega can affect, so we want to see if removing his influence can help cause a deterioration of diplomatic ties."
"I understand," Taria said with a nod. "I will get in contact with Quinlan and depart immediately."
"Lady Lok," Depa addressed Asuna. "The Manaan government has reported that a group of pirates have begun attacking their kolto exports throughout the Republic. We feel that this may be a move by the Sith to weaken the Republic and produce a kolto shortage. The Republic has put out a large bounty to stop the pirates, but reports suggest the average mercenary squad will be ill-equipped."
"So you want us to head to Manaan and deal with the threat," Asuna said.
"Indeed," Plo said. "The Republic Judicial Forces are already working with the Manaan Security Forces, but our intelligence suggests the pirates have a larger force than what the Republic dispatched."
Asuna glanced at Des and Kastor, who both nodded.
"We'll drop Master Shan and his team on Falleen and then head to Manaan," Asuna said. "It'll take us roughly a day to travel to Manaan."
"We'll alert the Judiciary and Security Forces of your impending arrival," Shaak Ti responded.
"I'll stay with the Darasuum," Fay said, with a slight frown. "Something tells me that I should stay with the fleet and assist with the pirate issue."
"What do you sense, Master Fay?" Mace asked.
"I'm not sure," Fay said slowly. "Everyday it gets harder and harder to truly predict the future, but something is telling me that we should have a Jedi there . . . and my skill with battle meditation may help us minimize casualties."
Kastor looked at Fay intently and she glanced at him and shook her head, and he nodded in understanding.
"Very well," Mace said. "Master Fay will travel with the Darasuum to Manaan and Master Shan's team will attempt to apprehend Zan Arbor and Omega. May the Force be with you all."
**The Will of the Force**
Obi-Wan strode through the busy streets of the capital city of Falleen. Anakin was at his side, with Siri and Ferus only a few steps behind. Rounding out their five man team was Antarian Ranger Arlon Kale. They'd already been on Falleen for a day, but so far they had not found any success. He could feel Siri's impatience growing.
They knew Omega had been on Falleen, but were unable to tell if he was still there. Chances were that he was long gone. They had debated just heading straight to Coruscant after an initial search had them believing that their quarry had already swapped ships and left, but had decided to stay to try and figure out what had brought Omega, Zan Arbor, and Teda to Falleen. Siri had voted to move on, but eventually they'd agreed it was worth the look since Coruscant could have been a false lead, and even if it wasn't, finding Omega on Coruscant would be very, very difficult.
Still, so far they had been unable to really pinpoint Omega's operations on Falleen, which was frustrating when one considered there were six Jedi and a squad of Antarian Rangers all searching. Knowing the why would have helped, but that too was still a mystery.
The four Jedi moved carefully through the streets, staying in the middle of the crowds. They were wearing well-worn cloaks to avoid attraction, which was another reason they traveled in larger groups. The walkways of the city were filled with beings from many worlds, and nearly all of them were in groups of four to six people. The city was built on three levels, and every building was packed to the brim.
Factories on Falleen were booming, and more were being built every day. Most of the factories manufactured weapons, and in the growing unrest throughout the galaxy, this made jobs and opportunities plentiful on the planet. Beings were flocking from across the stars to make their fortunes.
This made it easy for the Jedi to hide, but the same was true for Omega in concealing his activities, especially with his resources. They had kept a low profile, traveling through the streets, cafes, and hostels, attempting to pick up any word about Omega, Zan Arbor, Teda, or the Slams and their possible whereabouts or where they might have gone, but the only information they could find was about what the best factories to work in were and who was hiring. Obi-Wan and his team had collected the names of various corporations and sent them back to the Temple to see if they could find any connection to Omega, but so far they hadn't found anything.
"I've never seen this much security on a peaceful planet," Anakin remarked, adjusting his hood as he walked.
It was true. Surveillance droids were everywhere.
"They aren't all official security droids," Obi-Wan observed. "As a matter of fact, most of them seem to be private droids. And they're armed."
"Omega?" Siri asked. Her blue eyes were keen. "Looking for us, perhaps . . . or Jedi in general."
"Just as we are looking for him," Ferus Olin said. "So we're even."
"I think for once the favor is with us," Obi-Wan said. "He might be able to recognize Jedi and us especially, but he'll have a much harder time recognizing the rest of our team, and I believe he has just made his first mistake in attempting to conceal his operation."
"Any ideas, Master?" Anakin asked him in a low tone.
They had been walking through the streets for some time.
"That new factory we've heard of — Blackwater Systems," Obi-Wan said. "Let's head there. It was built quickly and already has a bad reputation among the Falleen. There are rumors that bribes were paid to the government to keep inspectors away."
"Seems like the type of place that Omega would build for swift action and then abandon," Siri agreed.
"We'll have to be careful in that direction," Arlon said. "Val just sent me a message that there is some sort of rally or protest going on over there."
"Well, then perhaps that is exactly where we need to be," Obi-Wan said, with interest.
The factories were built just beyond the outskirts of the city, so they hopped on a public transport, called a cloud-bus, to take them there, blending in with the other passengers. When they got to their destination, they found the pedestrian levels were narrow and squashed together, making it harder for tall species to utilize the lower ones.
The largest factories were built on the ground level and rose into the sky. The area was called the Yellow District by the Falleen because of the haze of toxins that were constantly filling the sky.
The Blackwater Factory was at the end of the line of all the other factories, nearly two kilometers from the last transport stop. It was colder, with the wind howling off the vast plains, unshielded like much of the rest of the city. It was windowless and completely fashioned from black durasteel and stone. It had one main building with a wing flung out from one side.
The team was moving easily, trying to seem uninterested when Obi-Wan tensed. He glanced up to see a surveillance drone pass into his line of vision, and another one followed it. These two didn't seem to have a purpose, and the surge of the Force confirmed his worry.
"We're being tracked," he said to the others. "Move normally. Could be routine."
"Up ahead," Siri remarked, linking her arm with Obi-Wan's to give them an air of a couple enjoying a walk together.
Ahead, a narrow alley led diagonally off the main walkway, running along the side of the main building. Once they passed, they darted inside and began to run. The droids would be forced to double back, buying them more time. The Jedi and Ranger kept turning corners, but the four Jedi could sense the droids still in pursuit, even if the droids hadn't yet got a fix on them.
"What now?" Ferus asked. His voice was steady, even though he was running hard.
"I can blast them," Arlon offered. "It would help to conceal your presence."
"But it will still alert Omega that his droids detected someone of worth," Obi-Wan said. "I'm sure Omega already knows his droids are tracking us. Destroying the droid will just help hide our next steps."
"We should be prepared in case Omega sends some more droids or mercenaries against us," Siri said, and Obi-Wan nodded in agreement.
Anakin's head cocked. "I hear something. This way."
Following Anakin now, they ran through the maze, passing waste bins and gravsleds, finally ending at a tall stone wall. They could all hear the crowd on the other side of the wall now.
"Must be that protest or rally," Arlon said, and the four Jedi nodded.
All five of them activated their cable launchers and scaled the wall, dropping to the other side, hopefully having evaded the droids. The crowd was just ahead, focused on a Falleen female who was speaking confidently. They quickly moved into the crowd for concealment, and they all noticed the surveillance droids were now standing outside the main gate, clearly having lost them.
The Falleen female stood, hanging on to the gate with one hand to keep herself above the crowd while she spoke into a voice amplifier headset. She was tall for the species, with the distinctive gray-green color to her scales.
"… and we ask them, what are the wastes you produce, and what is your disposal system? And they tell us — "
"NOTHING," the crowd shouted.
"And we ask them, what is the nature of the experiments you are conducting in your secret wing? And they tell us — "
"NOTHING!"
"And we ask them, what about the four workers over the past three months who have died without any reports being filed? And they tell us — "
"NOTHING!"
"And we ask them, when you have your products and your profits, what will you do for the citizens of Falleen? And we know the answer, don't we?"
"NOTHING!" The crowd screamed the word.
"And will we do nothing, or will we demand what is our right to demand — a full accounting of what is made here?" the female Falleen shouted. "If our leaders will not make them obey our laws, we must! Are you with me?"
"YES!" the crowd shouted.
"Are you willing?"
"YES!"
"Are you ready to go in and find what we need?"
"YES!"
"Then come on!"
A small explosive charge went off. The Falleen female leaped to the ground as the gates swung open. With a cry, the crowd surged forward.
"We shouldn't be in the middle of this," Ferus said.
He wasn't wrong, but they were caught in the crowd. They had little choice but to move with it until Obi-Wan saw black objects fly out of the factory ahead of them.
"Attack droids," he shouted. "Take cover!"
The crowd panicked and moved backward like one great breaking wave. Then they turned and ran, back toward the walkways. The Jedi fought their way through the crowd, moving against them, toward the droids.
Obi-Wan watched the Falleen female. As soon as the droids had come, she had dropped from the gate. Instead of fleeing with the others, she ran along the outside of the gate. She was heading for the alleys, but she had misjudged and was about to run straight into a wall. Two of the droids were following her.
"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called. "Let's go."
With the Falleen having ducked into the alleys and nobody else around, there was no real danger of blowing their cover, especially with the droids focused on their new quarry.
Anakin ran forward, leaped, and slashed through one of the droids while the other was quickly dropped by a swift and accurate shot made by Arlon.
"Nice work," Obi-Wan complimented, with a grin.
Anakin nodded, looking pleased, as they all rushed onward until they finally came across the Falleen female who was futilely trying to scale the wall. She whirled and tensed when she heard their footsteps.
"We're not with Blackwater," Obi-Wan said quickly. "We were in the crowd."
She nodded. "I'm afraid we're trapped."
"The droids tracking you crashed into each other," Siri told her. "They're destroyed."
"There will be others," the Falleen said. "The factory owners have my vitals. They can track me. If I were you, I wouldn't stick with me. I'm afraid my back is literally to the wall."
She sounded cool and collected, but the four Jedi could sense that she was on the edge of panic.
"The wall," Obi-Wan said, "is not a problem." He strode forward and attached one end of his cable launcher to the Falleen's utility belt. "Always be prepared," he said, keeping his tone light.
It was a quick climb before they were all over the wall and safe on the other side.
The Falleen looked around. "I know a back way to the cloud-bus stop from here," she said. "I'm Mazara, by the way." She was gazing at them curiously.
"We arrived on Falleen recently," Siri said. "Looking for jobs."
"We'd better hurry," Obi-Wan said. "It won't take them long to look further."
Mazara took them through the maze of allies, but they saw no sign of any more droids tracking them.
Mazara waved at the surrounding plains as she walked. "This is why Falleen is so ideal for them," she told them. "There is plenty of land outside our city. Transports can land and take off without being logged in. Waste can be dumped or offloaded onto orbiting platforms." Her voice was full of disgust. "Not to mention that as Falleen, we don't like to raise our voices. The population is growing distressed with the situation, but no one says anything. It is not 'appropriate,'" she said, giving a wry twist to the word. "Believe me, I'm not an activist. I was a journalist before I got fired for writing an article on Blackwater. Both our land and our skies are becoming dumping grounds. I've seen it happen to other worlds. I can't watch it happen to my homeworld."
"Why did you target Blackwater Systems?" Obi-Wan asked.
"They are the worst offenders," Mazara answered. "The factory was built quickly, with little regard for basic safety practices. Enormous bribes were paid to inspectors to overlook violations that are part of the laws of Falleen. There have been several deaths at the facility and each time an investigation is done the result is the same — the worker was at fault."
"Do you know who the owners are?"
Mazara sighed. "It is the usual game of company behind company, but this muddle seems murkier than most. I've been investigating almost since they arrived, and I don't have any answers. What I do know is that their security is extraordinary. Those attack droids are programmed to shoot blaster fire. Not to stun, to kill."
Obi-Wan, Siri, Anakin, Ferus, and Arlon all exchanged glances. That sounded exactly like one of Omega's operations. Everything had been skillfully created, but the operation had needed to be created too quickly to completely hide the problems, so Omega had ensured he was covered from any sort of connection.
Suddenly Mazara stopped and gave them a shrewd look. "Attack droids don't usually crash into each other."
"Yes, it's an unusual sight," Siri agreed.
She looked at them carefully. "I've traveled widely. I've seen enough to know you aren't workers. You took those droids down, didn't you?"
Mazara only waited a moment before nodding, not even waiting for a response.
"You are Jedi," she said.
"Why do you say that?" Obi-Wan asked.
"There is word on the street that those who identify Jedi will be paid for it," she said. "Don't worry, you can trust me. What are you doing on Falleen? Have you come to help us?"
"We've come to investigate several of your factories," Siri said carefully.
"That will help us, no matter what your purpose," Mazara said. "You can take word of what is happening back to the Galactic Senate."
Obi-Wan withheld a grimace at that. With the Separatist movement, old loyalties and alliances were frayed and falling. Very little legislation was being enacted, and petitions for help from many worlds were being delayed by procedure. It was something that was getting the Jedi Order in trouble, since many Knights were doing what they could for the people of the Republic, regardless of whether the Senate had approved the mission or not. It wasn't always successful either as the wealthy members of those troubled worlds, often those responsible or at least profiting off of the troubles, were then adding their resources to the rising cause of anti-Jedi sentiment.
"Have you heard of someone called Granta Omega?" Obi-Wan asked casually.
Mazara shook her head.
"How about Roy Teda?"
"Yes, of course, the deposed dictator of Romin. He's here." Mazara grimaced. "Falleen seems to attract the worst of the galaxy these days."
"Do you know where he is?" Siri asked, surprised.
They hadn't been able to find him, and had mostly just assumed he'd moved on with Zan Arbor. Perhaps staying on Falleen hadn't been a waste of time.
"Of course. He's staying in the kind of reclusive hotel reserved for the ultra-rich. I learned about it back in my investigative days."
"Is he staying with anyone else?"
Mazara shook her head. "Not that I know of."
Obi-Wan glanced at Siri. Had Teda and Zan Arbor split up?
"You said that there were deaths at the Blackwater facility," Ferus pointed out.
Mazara nodded. "And rumors of sicknesses that cannot be diagnosed. Rumors that Falleen are forced to work in water tunnels. We are able to stay underwater for long periods of time."
"Water tunnels?" Obi-Wan asked. That would be perfect for Zan Arbor's Zone of Self-Containment.
"That wing of the factory is restricted. It's set up for transmission experiments," Mazara said. "Workers are forced to sign a statement of confidentiality, and so far, no one has dared to contest it. The penalties are unknown, but they must be severe."
"We would like to examine that wing," Obi-Wan said. "Can you get us inside the factory?"
"That is easy," Mazara said. "There are Falleen in the employment office who will help us. I can get you inside as workers. After that, the rest is up to you."
**The Will of the Force**
"You know, Damsin, I thought you'd be a bit rusty for this sort of thing," Quinlan said, with a smirk.
"I have been working with Kastor and his team, you know," Taria responded dryly. "What did you think I was doing with them?"
"Oh, I just assumed you were lounging on beaches in skimpy clothes, enjoying drinks at bars, and occasionally putting a pirate or arms dealer away," Quilan said jokingly.
"Not every Jedi has the same dreams as you, Quin," Taria said with an eye roll.
"Well, of course not, Ria," Quinlan said, eyeing her with a grin. "I don't dream about myself, but I know that I fill your dreams."
Taria snorted, and Quinlan chuckled, looking proud of himself.
"You know that you and Shylar could actually come out into the open now, right Quin?" Taria asked. "Then you could stop flirting with the rest of us?"
"Yes, but Shy isn't so certain," Quinlan said. "I mean, I love her . . . in a way, and the same is true for her to me, but she's not certain we really have anything more than the wonderful friends with benefits thing we've been keeping up for years. I'm not sure I disagree with her either. It's casual, not even really outside of the bounds set by the Code before good old Kas started whispering sweet nothings in the Council's ear."
Taria shuddered.
"Please never describe Kas influencing changes in the Order like that again. That was horrifying."
Quinlan laughed delightedly.
Taria sighed. "This is frustrating. Omega's hands in the pot seem to be minuscule as far as we can find, which is basically nothing, but Kas and I know that Omega has some sort of relationship with the Trade Federation, the Banking Clan, and the Commerce Guild."
"Which are all key players in the Separatist movement," Quinlan continued. "So, the question is whether Omega helped bring those conglomerates together or whether Omega is just another piece of the puzzle. He's a thorn to the Jedi, but does he really care one way or another about the Republic?"
"He wanted to recreate the Sith Empire, so it stands to reason he wants the Republic gone as well," Taria said thoughtfully, "but at the same time, it was only the last year or two that he found other Sith Lords, so that is what probably drove him to helping to re-establish the Sith Empire. Prior to that, he just wanted to find the hidden Sith and help them with their plans."
"Presumably their plans to destroy the Jedi," Quinlan agreed. "So, that brings us back to some other facts. The Separatist movement was clearly planned for a while, based on those files from Omega, but that should have been before he even thought of the reconstituted Sith Empire, so if he was helping the Separatists along, how does he intend for this to hurt the Jedi?"
"Maybe just weakening the Republic was his hope . . . or he wants a galactic war," Taria said quietly.
"But none of my contacts suggest the Separatists are readying for war," Quinlan said, a bit concerned.
"No, but it fits with Kastor's visions . . . visions much of the Council also seems to have somewhat shared." Taria shook her head. "We need to dig deeper. Senators might be acting as representatives for their planets and Dooku is the head of the movement, but there has to be someone or a group that helped bring it all together. Maybe that was Omega, but I doubt it. It's too open for him. I would bet he was just recruited because of his resources, especially his resources in the underworld. He could be a key player, but I just don't see this as something he started."
"Alright," Quinlan said with a shrug. "Let's revisit some of my contacts, and let's see if we can develop more contacts in various Separatist cells. I've heard rumors of some sort of 'Separatist Council' but no actual proof. If we can find proof of a council and figure out the members, we'll have a better idea of who or what might be tying them together."
"Well, we can't ignore that Sith Empire emissary either," Taria said with a frown. "She's a real threat and we need to be very careful around her."
"A real Sith," Quinlan agreed quietly. "Darth Noctyss is what my spies say her name is. Never heard of her, but we sent her name back to the Temple to see if they could identify her. She's certainly made her way past the middle-management. She's always seen talking to Senators and conglomerate leadership."
"We have to think of a way to cut her influence," Taria muttered.
"Easier said than done," Quinlan said. "That's going to take a team too. We don't know how well she is at identifying Force users, even with shielding, and the risk would be too high without a team for support."
"We'll have to talk to the Council to request support," Taria agreed. "For now though, let's see if we can identify the Separatist Council."
**The Will of the Force**
"I told Kas these frigates would prove useful," Asuna said smugly, and Fay chuckled.
Currently, they were in one of the Diamond-class frigates that they had salvaged from the Sith cultists on Dromund Kalakari. They were leaving the Manaan atmosphere escorting two Manaan supply cruisers carrying precious kolto. On the other side of the supply cruisers was another one of the salvaged Diamond-class frigates, both of which had crews of Mandalorians — new recruits by Asuna. Leading the two supply ships and providing support was three Republic craft: two Consular-class cruisers and an Arquitens heavy frigate. Pulling up the rear were two Bayonet-class light cruisers that belonged to the Manaan Security Forces.
"Alright, we just need to skirt this nebula and then we'll be able to make the jump to hyperspace," Fay said. "Let's see if they hit us just before we can jump like they've done in the past or whether we have enough force to discourage them."
"I hope they take the bait," Asuna said with a feral grin. "These two frigates are already more than the pirates should expect. No doubt they know exactly what the Republic sent and I'm sure they know what Manaan sent. We're the wildcards, but neither of these ships are associated with us, so they should just think they belong to some other mercenary group."
Their small escort fleet continued around the nebula, making their way to where they would be able to safely make the jump towards Coruscant when the trap was sprung. The sensors picked them up first, but there was nothing they could do as two Hornet-class carriers, two DP20 gunships, two Munificent-class carriers, and one Dreadnought-class heavy cruiser came out of hyperspace ahead of them, blocking their path. Behind them, likely having been at some no-man's land spot in space, a short jump away, came four Diamond-class frigates, two Carracks-class light cruisers, and two Katarn-class boarding craft.
"They took the bait," Fay observed.
"Is it really bait when you outnumber your opponent by this much?" Asuna retorted, looking impressed. "I would say the Council is right on the money. There is no way this is some small pirate operation."
"No," Fay agreed quietly, "and I sense the presence of the Dark Side."
"Al'verde," one of the Mandalorians addressed Asuna. "The enemy is deploying one squadron of fighters out of one of the Hornet-class carriers, and a squadron of bombers out of the other. Twelve fighters, mostly Daggers with a few Morningstars, and twelve NTB-3 bombers in total."
"Thank you. Turn off our tracker to signal for our reinforcements. It's time to spring our own trap."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Have the Beviin turn to aid the Manaan forces with those rear ships. Divert all power to the shield and cannons and concentrate fire on the closest cruiser. Tell the commander of the Arquitens Heavy to focus on that dreadnought while the Consular cruisers focus their firepower on those bombers."
"Yes, al'verde!"
"Our reinforcements will drop in once those starfighters and bombers have started their approach," Asuna said with a fierce grin. "They'll be forced to abandon their flight path and risk exposure to help their front line from being decimated from the rear."
"You are efficient and brilliant as always, my friend," Fay said, smiling slightly, despite the lives that would be lost soon, but that faded as she felt the Dark Side of the Force nearly slam into her, making her groan, and she felt the morale of her crew failing and even Asuna's smile faded.
Fay quickly settled down into a meditative pose, and started to calm her breathing, despite the Force beating down on her mind and making it hard to concentrate.
"You were right," Asuna said, grimly. "The Sith are here . . . and this just got harder."
Fay took slow breaths, drawing on her hundreds of years of experience to help find her center, and she reached out to her bond with Kastor and her bond with Yoda, and she felt both respond faintly, bolstering her strength. She further reached out to her newer bonds with Taria, Siri, Obi-Wan, and even Adi, and while she didn't feel the acknowledgement, the presence of the bonds helped give her mental fortitude.
Soon the dark presence was being forced back. The Sith, whoever he was, was strong, but not as strong as her. Still, he had the jump on her and she had to fight with all her strength to push his power back to equal ground, with no benefit to either side, but she did it just in time.
The Darasuum and the last Diamond-class cruiser came out of hyperspace behind the front line of enemy ships. Reaper and Basilisk squadron had already been deployed, which had been part of what delayed their reinforcements jumping into the battle, but it meant that as they came out of hyperspace they were already racing towards the enemy ships which were bulky and slow to turn around to face the new threat.
As Asuna had expertly predicted, the enemy fighters and bombers took the new threat to their fleet seriously and broke off their attack approach, nearly at the last minute, exposing them to fire from the Republic cruisers and Asuna's own frigate.
Fay kept pushing against the Dark Sider who was fighting hard, but losing ground. The longer this went on, the more the Republic and Mandalorian forces would have the advantage, but they still were outnumbered by a considerable amount.
**The Will of the Force**
Mazara was as good as her word. She arranged an interview for Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Allara that she promised would be a mere formality. Siri, Ferus, and Kastor went to stake out the hotel that Teda was staying at, and the rest of the Rangers continued to roam the streets and other questionable places making sure that no stone was left unturned in their search for Omega and Zan Arbor.
The Jedi met up in the main square of the city the next morning before they were set to part ways.
"So how come I get to freeze on a factory floor while you hang around a luxury hotel?" Anakin grumbled good-naturedly to Ferus.
Ferus grinned. "Just lucky, I guess."
Obi-Wan was happy to see how much the relationship between the two boys had improved, and quite recently at that. After Ferus had unburdened himself on Romin, he had seemingly been able to unbend around Anakin, his worries now voiced. In turn, this had helped Anakin adapt more to Ferus.
"Please, the hotel is going to be so boring, Skywalker," Allara said with a shake of her head. "I'll take mopping a factory floor over staring at posh and pretentious criminals any day of the week."
"Yeah, I agree," Siri said with an unimpressed look at Obi-Wan. "I'm trying to figure out how I ended up on the stakeout."
"Because you fell to my wily persuasions," Obi-Wan said with a grin.
"No flirting!" Anakin and Ferus both said together, and Kastor and Allara both laughed.
"Alright, alright," Kastor said. "Get going you three, and may the Force be with you."
The three Jedi in question went off to join the workers waiting for cloud buses out to the Yellow District and then were soon on their way before they had the last hike to the factory. Obi-Wan, Allara, and Anakin were quick to notice that the other workers were silent and seemed rather solemn.
The three Jedi were easily directed to the employment office, and as Mazara said, they were given passes to the main factory floor, with no questions asked by a Falleen named Wanuri.
"We are interested in working in the transmission wing," Obi-Wan told Wanuri as the Falleen pushed two security swipe cards across the desk to them.
Wanuri shook his head. "Can't do it, even for Mazara. Word has come down that no more workers are needed there. The night shift has been canceled, so everyone will be leaving exactly at six. The last hire always sweeps the factory floor. Be sure and lock the hydromop and repulsorbroom back in the utility closet. Here's the card. Be sure not to stay. Two security officers and droids sweep the factory every fifteen minutes."
He pushed the card across the table. Obi-Wan pocketed it.
"Great," Anakin murmured as they headed to the factory floor. "Not only do we have to work all day, we have to clean up afterward."
"It's the perfect job for us to stay after," Allara said, "and he told us how the security works. Shame, young Skywalker, shame."
"Allara is correct, my impatient Padawan," Obi-Wan teased, and Anakin shook his head in exasperation.
The three of them were split up to start their work, but occasionally they'd find themselves in the same area where they could exchange information. The work was mind numbing, seemingly disorganized, and hard to piece together. Each part of the factory was sealed off from the next, and none of them could figure out what the final product was that was being assembled. Deep troughs were cut in the floor for the waste, which was simply flushed down through the floors, and like Mazara had said, it seemed that corners had been cut because there were no decontamination rooms. If anyone fell or stepped in, they simply had to deal with it coating their clothes, and none of the Jedi knew if it was toxic or not.
Obi-Wan's section dealt with checking levels on machines that injected some sort of liquid into small canisters. He thought the Zone could possibly be in the containers, but considering how little they know of the Zone, it was too hard to tell.
The one thing that did worry Obi-Wan was that supervision was light. Managers rarely actually monitored their workers, and seemed to mainly just eat, drink, and joke with each other, and there didn't seem to be any central authority. It seemed too slipshod for Omega or Zan Arbor.
Anakin agreed.
"I've noticed the same thing, Master. My work partner said the managers all changed two weeks ago. The workers haven't had to work as hard. They're all relieved."
Allara's observation reinforced Obi-Wan's unease.
"If the workers are not being worked as hard, and the managers were all replaced, it seems to me that whatever they were doing is complete," Allara said thoughtfully. "Zan Arbor and Omega might already be gone . . . we might have missed our opportunity."
"We'll find out tonight," Anakin and Obi-Wan both agreed.
The rest of the day passed in repetition and drudgery. The workers were bored and worked at half speed, and none of the managers cared. At the end of the workday, Obi-Wan, Allara, and Anakin volunteered to be the clean up crew, and nobody was there to oversee them, so when the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the workday, the three Jedi hid themselves in a utility closet until they were sure the only person left was the lone security guard. After the guard passed, they made their way out onto the dark factory floor.
"We have about eleven minutes before the droid sweep," Obi-Wan murmured. "Let's head for the wing."
They quickly, but quietly made their way to the restricted wing, finding the double-coded lock. Looking at their chronos, they found a hiding spot and waited for the droid sweep to go by again.
"Our card should work if we can override the code," Obi-Wan said.
"Too slow," Allara said, with a shake of her head. "We won't be here tomorrow anyway."
Allara drew her lightsaber and slashed through the lock in one motion. The door swung open.
"Well, that's one way," Anakin commented.
"Qui-Gon would have liked you," Obi-Wan remarked, and Allara winked playfully at the two of them.
They found themselves in a short hallway with another security door. Obi-Wan copied Allara's approach, using his lightsaber to cut through the durasteel. Once through they found themselves in a large laboratory. Anakin went straight for the console while Allara and Obi-Wan surveyed the room.
"There are valves here that go to tunnels," he told Anakin. "Big enough to walk in."
"I think it's safe to assume Mazara was right," Allara said. "They had to have been experimenting on the workers."
"They did," Anakin said, reading from the files. "Different levels of the Zone. The four worker deaths were from overexposure. They were trying to calibrate exact amounts for large crowds. Thousands at once."
Obi-Wan strode over to read over Anakin's shoulder.
"Here's the proof that Zan Arbor had perfected one-on transmission," Obi-Wan said
"But she hasn't yet found a way to infect a whole city," Anakin finished, and he plugged his datapad into the system so that he could copy all the files.
Allara moved over and joined them as Obi-Wan pointed to the bottom of the file.
TRACK A EXPERIMENT VOIDED. TRACK B EXPERIMENT BEGUN.
"We'll want to get inspectors and some scientists in here," Allara said, "but clearly she got as far as she could with her initial experiment and has now started down a different path. Hopefully that means she's stalled, but with how this factory is being run, I worry it's the opposite."
"We have enough evidence to go straight to the Supreme Chancellor," Obi-Wan said. "That's the only way things get done, these days."
Allara frowned at that.
Anakin looked at his chrono. "We have another six minutes before the next droid sweep."
"Let's check out the tunnel," Obi-Wan said.
Quickly they opened the valve and stepped inside the tunnel. They walked down, using glow rods from their belts for illumination. Vents were spaced evenly on the tunnel walls, and the plastoid sides were smooth.
"I see some ducts and hoses. This must be how the Zone is administered," Obi-Wan observed.
Allara was studying a schematic drawing that was lasered onto the wall.
"These tunnels go on for kilometers," Allara said, grimly. "Enough to approximate an entire small city, right here in the factory. This tunnel dips underground and joins the main system. It connects to other smaller tunnels . . ."
"Perhaps it's based on an actual city system?" Obi-Wan theorized.
Allara and Anakin whipped around, and Obi-Wan looked back with them as a wall of water whipped around the corner and started rushing down the tunnel.
**The Will of the Force**
Fay kept pushing, forcing the Dark Sider's power further and further back, boosting her allies' morale, stamina, and battle prowess, and reducing their enemies'. It was already starting to show.
The enemy fighters and bombers had suffered casualties when they broke off their attack run on the Republic ships and turned to engage Reaper and Basilisk squadrons, but the minor disadvantage that had come from being outnumbered had only grown as their ships kept making mistakes and the Reapers kept showcasing great teamwork to slowly whittle away the enemy fighters. The bombers had already been decimated.
Basilisk squadron had already destroyed one of the Hornet carriers and one of the gunships, though they had suffered some losses dealing with the firepower of the enemy fleet. Still, their actions had forced the fleet to maneuver so that only half of it was turned at a ninety-degree angle to engage both the Republic fleet and the Darasuum and its complement, while the rest of the remaining fleet tried to engage the bombers and fighters. The Darasuum and its Diamond frigate escort had unleashed a volley which ripped apart one of the enemy Munificent cruisers, who had clearly removed all power from their rear shields to focus on destroying the Republic escorts.
However, the initial successes had quickly faded as it became a slugfest . . . perhaps one in the Republic and Mandalorians' favor, but not without costs. One of the Republic Consular cruisers had already been engulfed in a ball of flame when the enemy Dreadnought focused on it, and the other had taken some scorching blows, which suggested its shields were at their limits. The Republic's Arquitens had targeted the remaining Munificent and blasted it apart, and now was working with the Darasuum to hit the Dreadnought from both sides, but the large heavy cruiser was weathering the barrage admirably.
The rear fight was going far worse. One of the Manaan Bayonet cruisers had already been destroyed, and the other was barely weathering the assault. One of the enemy Diamond cruisers had been destroyed, but the Mandalorian Diamond was in a bad way as well. They needed to be reinforced soon because if one of those two ships fell, the boarding craft would be able to push through and get to the supply ships.
"Turn us around and engage the closest enemy Diamond frigate," Asuna ordered, and Fay pushed harder with her powers, but then suddenly all the resistance against her left, and that concerned her.
"Al'verde, enemy ship just debarked from the Dreadnought, and it's projected path is directly to us."
"It's the Sith," Fay mumbled.
Asuna glanced down at Fay.
"You heard her. Tell Reaper to bring that ship down. If it gets here, that Sith does not make it to the bridge. Protect Lady Fay at all costs."
"Understood."
Across the battlefield, Fay's boost was being felt. The remaining enemy gunship went up in flames and the Dreadnought had stopped firing at both Arquitens in order to focus on destroying the N-2 Bombers or the proton bombs they were launching. It was only a matter of time at this point before it too would fall. The remaining enemy fighters were trying to cover for the Sith shuttle, but in doing so, they were dropping quicker and quicker.
The Sith shuttle managed to evade the fire from all ships and zoomed past the Republic ships. It was basically home free to board Asuna's ship, but in doing so, the remainder of its fighter escort was destroyed, clearing the path for Reaper to push towards the rear engagement.
"Have Des recall two of the Komr'ks," Asuna ordered. "We're going to have to board those supply ships to reinforce them against the enemy boarding parties."
Her statement was prophetic as the Mandalorian Diamond finally fell apart in a volley of blasters, but between it and the remaining Manaan Bayonet, they had destroyed another enemy Diamond frigate.
The two boarding craft rushed forward, being covered by the two Carracks light cruisers, and the remaining allied Bayonet did what it could, but it was soon falling apart itself, leaving the supply ships defenseless. Thankfully, Reaper squadron, led by Vana had just managed to move past the Republic ships and were within range to engage.
Vana started by unleashing a volley with her squadron which managed to take out one of the boarding craft, but the two enemy Carracks quickly flew in front and tanked the remaining shots.
Fay felt the Dark presence growing closer and she pulled out of her meditative trance. Asuna glanced at her.
"Your Battle Meditation is worth more," she said. "Go back in and let our people handle that Sith."
"No, this is my fight," Fay said, with a shake of her head. "The Manaan Security Forces are sending reinforcements. I could sense them approaching. That Dreadnought is on its last leg and once it falls, the enemy Hornet will fall soon after. This battle is nearly won, but that Sith must be stopped. Keep our people away from him. I will deal with him."
"Understood," Asuna said, a bit angrily. "You better not die. I am not going to tell Kastor you died. Understand?"
Fay chuckled. "I understand, my friend."
Fay made her way through the ship sensing where the Sith had docked to one of the rear airlocks. Mandalorians passed her as she went, nodding at her and wishing her luck, clearly having received the message. Finally she was in the corridor and she heard the airlock open. She stared as the Sith hopped into the corridor. He was tall, hooded, and was humanoid. He had heavy tattoos, yellow eyes, and a rage-filled aura. He quickly ignited a red lightsaber.
"My master will reward me greatly for killing you, Jedi scum," the Sith hissed. "You were foolish to confront me by yourself."
"Your anger has blinded you to the situation," Fay responded. "You cannot win. Surrender now and I can help you."
The Sith laughed. "Help me? The only way you can help me, Jedi filth, is to let me remove your head from your body."
Fay's face fell and she gazed at him sadly before she ignited her own silver blade.
"This battle is lost. Surely you can sense it? The Manaan Security Force reinforcements are now engaging your rear forces, which were already struggling to counter our starfighter squadron. Your dreadnought's shields just failed, and your remaining Hornet is attempting to flee. Your boarding craft is trying to capture the supply vessel and was doing a valiant job, but my Mandalorian boarding party has now reinforced the bridge and is pushing your troops back. They cannot win, whether I live or not. This fight is over."
"It doesn't matter," the Sith responded in rage. "The death of a Jedi is a victory in itself! Then I will kill everyone else on this ship and make my escape. Your head will mean my ascension to greater power."
"That desire for power will only destroy you," Fay cautioned, but the Sith would hear none of it.
He quickly charged forward and swung downward viciously, attempting to cleave her in two, but she easily side stepped him, and he zoomed past her. He turned, snarling and swung in a combo of rage filled slashes and cuts, and his ferocity put Fay on the defensive. The Force started pouring off the Sith, and Fay watched the floor, ceiling, and walls start expanding, cracking, and she knew she had to end the fight soon.
She jumped over him, spinning fast and putting him on the defensive, using the light cuts and jabs of Makashi, her elegant style overwhelming the man's brutish attacks, and when he made another attempt at cleaving her in two, she spun swiftly around him sliced him up, from his lower back all the way up to his neck. He screamed in pain before he dropped and his life force started fading.
"Yo-you m-may have de-defeated me, J-Jedi dog," the Sith gasped out, "b-but you w-will never b-beat the Dar-Dark Side. Y-you're too weak."
After his final words, he grew still and Fay bent down and closed the man's eyes.
"May you find peace," she whispered.
The battle had ended in a resounding victory, but it had still been costly. Both Consular-class cruisers had been destroyed as had both Bayonet-class cruisers. Asuna's fleet had lost one of their Diamond-class frigates, five Fang-fighters, and five N-2 bombers. Even the Manaan reinforcements had lost three of their ships in the final pitched battle, even if it had resulted in the complete destruction of the enemy fleet and both supply ships were fit to continue their journey.
**The Will of the Force**
"I don't remember telling you to blow up the factory," Kastor remarked dryly as they ran in the direction of the collapsing factory, and Kastor noted that the streets were collapsing as well, which suggested an underground network of tunnels.
"You didn't, and I didn't," Siri retorted. "Quit your joking and help me locate Obi-Wan, Allara, and Anakin."
"I sense they're moving fast," Kastor said, his eyes closed, reaching out. "They're in fast flowing water . . ."
"The tunnels below," Siri finished, and together they worked to pinpoint exactly where they could cut through the ground to rescue their loved ones.
"Over there! I see an entrance," Ferus pointed out, and they saw the manhole covering.
"Good spot," Kastor said. "I sense they are close . . . definitely not in the water anymore, but still at risk from the collapsing tunnels."
"We need to get them out of there fast and get out of here fast," Siri agreed as they rushed to the tunnel entrance Ferus had spotted.
Just as they were getting close, a blue lightsaber pierced through and started to slowly cut through the durasteel, and they could hear coughing coming from the small opening. Siri and Kastor both moved forward and quickly added their blades and hastened the project of cutting through the durasteel.
Obi-Wan's face appeared first, with Anakin right behind him, and Allara right behind him, all three on a ladder.
"You better hurry," Siri said.
"That's the general idea," Obi-Wan answered, scrambling up the rest of the ladder.
Anakin started to scramble up and almost fell when Siri grabbed onto him and hoisted him up, while Kastor did the same for Allara soon after.
"We've got to go," Kastor said.
"The entire factory is imploding," Siri added, and all around the ground was shaking and starting to collapse.
The six Jedi dashed over the ground, using the Force to help stabilize their movements over such turbulent ground, and they didn't look back until they'd finally reached the safety of the open plain. Behind them, the ground had cracked apart, opening up and swallowing the huge factory. A shower of fire and dust was all that remained.
All the evidence had been sucked into the ground or gone up in flames. Not even debris remained.
"We came to find you," Siri said to Obi-Wan, Allara, and Anakin. "We saw the beginning of the collapse. We knew you would be inside the wing, so we raced around the perimeter, looking for a way in, and thankfully the Force helped us find you."
"Omega knew we were here," Anakin said, gazing at the crater. "He destroyed the factory to silence us and to cover his tracks."
"Teda has left the planet," Siri added. "We went to the hotel, but by the time we'd gotten in to confirm he was there, he was already gone. I bet he was gone long before we got there. Mazara's intel was out of date."
"Probably left after Omega's droids spotted us yesterday," Kastor said.
"If he's gone, Omega and Zan Arbor are probably long gone," Ferus added. "We couldn't find any sort of information on their departure though. They didn't file a flight plan. There's no way of knowing where in the galaxy they are headed."
Siri felt Obi-Wan's anger rise. He was near the end of his control. They all were. Once again, Omega had escaped.
"Coruscant is our best bet," Allara said.
"Like Anakin and I said," Siri said, and they all nodded wearily.
It was where Teda had said they were going, eventually. They hadn't been sure if he'd been telling the truth or if it was a false plant, but with the tracker heading for Falleen, they'd decided to just leave it in the back of their minds.
Obi-Wan's comlink signaled. He glanced at it. "It's Master Windu," he said in a tight voice.
They all waited a moment. Anakin watched his Master curiously. Siri knew he could feel how much Obi-Wan was fighting the temptation to throw the comlink into the vast plains.
"Maybe you should answer it," Siri suggested in a soft voice, gazing at Obi-Wan with concern, and pushing comfort through their bond.
He took a slow breath and pressed the holomod of his comlink.
Mace Windu appeared in miniature holographic form. "Obi-Wan, Siri. Your team must return to Coruscant immediately."
"But we are on the trail of Granta Omega," Obi-Wan said. "We just — "
"Immediately," Mace interrupted. "There is trouble."