Dbd Thirty-Seven: Phindar Part Three (Patreon)

Ali’ya sighed, slumping forward onto the desk. Her desk, since Garro (chosen by the rebels as their temporary leader) had given her this office. It wasn’t much to write home about but it was well-lit, large enough for her to move around (despite having forty centimeters on the average Phindian, though it was possible she had grown more since then) and overlooked the city. Sixteen datapads covered her desk. Ten of them detailing the actions of a different subset of Syndicat, while the remaining six were copies of the personal datapads of each of the Six Syns, the leaders of the Syndicat. Despite knowing that her role was far from over when Garro approached her, Ali’ya had not expected quite so much responsibility in the rebuilding.

A knock at her door for Ali’ya to sit straight. “Come in.”

The door swung open, revealing her master. “Before you continue with your assignments,” Master Bulq said, gesturing towards the datapads. “We should debrief as to the mission.”

“Yes, Master,” Ali’ya agreed. “Where should I start?”

“When you left the ship.”

Ali’ya sighed, forcing herself to relax. Should I tell the truth? she wondered. The worst he can do is bring me before the Council. And I really don’t want to lie to him. “I left the ship discretely, heading towards the government’s data storage facility as agreed,” Ali’ya began. “It was lightly guarded, and I managed to knock both guards unconscious before they could sound the alarm. I used their key-card to open the door, but instead it revealed a keypad. With the Force’s guidance I was able to discern the correct passcode. The first four rooms each had a data-core. I was able to slice into them to determine the topics--”

“I was unaware you were skilled at slicing,” Master Bulq interrupted.

“The government’s security was weak,” Ali’ya fibbed. Truthful though she wanted to be, there was no hope of explaining the System. “Though the Force certainly helped me with regards to Syndicat’s files, but that is later. After determining that the data cores were unlikely to include information about Syndicat, I set up some of the datapads I purchased on Brentaal to download the files.”

“They had enough room for that?”

“Brentaal’s datapads specialize in large memory storage,” Ali’ya explained. “Combined with the fact that the data-cores stored things in holoimages and I was downloading them as text documents, they had enough space.”

“Very well,” Master Bulq said, and waved his arm. “Continue.”

“The double-doors leading into the main datacenter were locked,” Ali’ya recalled. “They had both a keypad/card reader and a regular lock. Using the Force I was able to unlock the mechanical lock by triggering the right pins, which unlocked the door.” Ali’ya blushed slightly, thankful for the fur hiding her face. “There was a receptionist at a counter behind the doors. I was concerned that she might press a silent alarm, so I acted perhaps a bit rashly. I dashed across and jumped over the counter to separate her from any buttons. Fortunately she was willing to cooperate once I revealed that I was a Jedi, and informed me as to where the Syndicat files were, as well as alerting me to the fact that war droids guarded them. The war droids I was easily able to defeat–

“How?”

“the model is one that Kazdan (Padawan Paratus) enjoys experimenting on, so I knew where the off-switch was and using the Force activated it.” Ali’ya grimaced. “The door was guarded by three keypad devices and three locks. Sensing that all of them had to be activated at the same time, I used the Force to lightly press in the passcode from the previous door . . .” Ali’ya winced, her ears pressed against her head as her master sighed. “A bad assumption,” Ali’ya agreed. “A bit later I got your message about strange activity and cut my way in. I was able to slice myself into their datacores and found out about their . . . renewal process.”

The room’s temperature dropped sharply at that, the two Jedi’s anger and loathing seeping out into the environment before they reigned back their emotions. “The guards arrived shortly after that discovery,” Ali’ya continued. “I . . . Only two of them felt any concerns about working for Syndicat. I told them I was a Jedi, and that the government of Phindar was being dissolved, and ordered them to surrender.”

“Something you did not have the authority to do,” Master Bulq pointed out.

“No, Master.”

“What if you had discovered that the datacore was wrong? You would have committed a grave offense, one punishable by expulsion from the Order and several years in a Republic prison.”

“It wasn’t wrong though,” Ali’ya protested. “The Force was pushing me towards there. Even if I was wrong, it would have been worth it. The renewal . . . anything like that needs to be investigated.”

Master Bulq hummed, but said nothing.

“I felt their fear, Master,” Ali’ya confessed, returning to the debriefing. “They were exuding it, especially once I lit my lightsaber. I head whispering. A voice inside my head, telling me that they deserved it. That they should feel the fear they inflicted on others.”

“Battle Meditation can be used that way.”

“I know,” Ali’ya said softly, unable to meet her master’s eyes. “I used it on Kalee. The Huk, they struck so much fear into the Kaleesh. It was killing them. So I just . . . I took their fear and gave it back to the Huk. But I didn’t here,” she said, looking up. “I didn’t. I let them fire, and used by lightsaber to deflect the bolts. I tried to injure them but six died. When there were enough on the floor to chance it I used the Force to push them back, then ordered them to surrender. The Captain refused, but his sergeant shot him and offered surrender. After that I had them handcuff each other. I couldn’t use the police’s holding cells, so I used one of the empty data storage rooms instead, and came to find you.”

“But I was off tracking down the Prime Minister.”

“Yes,” Ali’ya agreed. “I realized that we’d started something of a coup, and that we’d need help to make sure Syndicat fell. So I sliced into the Judicial records and tracked down the comm numbers for some people who’d made themselves nuisances to Syndicat.”

“And then?”

“You returned,” Ali’ya said. “We divvied up assignments on who would capture which government agent and which Syndicat leader. We took Syndicat’s headquarters, I freed Garro--”

“How?”

“I killed the guards in my way.” Ali’ya refused to feel back about that. Their deaths were a tragedy, but not nearly so much as their existence. “They were willing to erase peoples’ memories. Their personalities. Their souls.”

“You believe they deserved to die?”

“Ideally I would have taken them captive,” Ali’ya acknowledged. “But an innocent’s life was at stake, and they knew what they were doing. If they hadn’t had a prisoner I would have prioritized taking them alive.” She wasn’t sure she could have done it (and wasn’t entirely sure she would have) but certainly would have tried harder to capture them than she did.

“Very well,” Master Bulq said. “And then?”

“I freed Garro,” Ali’ya said. “We met back up with you. The rebels caught most of their targets and chose Garro as an interim leader. Then Garro gave me this office and,” Ali’ya gestured at the datapads, “all this.”

“And what exactly is ‘this,’ Padawan?”

“I’m supposed to be tracking down who needs to be interviewed by the provisional government,” Ali’ya sighed. “There’s a lot of people. Syndicat was in charge of the planet for nearly two generations. It’s hard to tell which people were involved with someone from Syndicat and which people were involved with Syndicat from their file descriptions, so I’ve had to read through the files.”

Master Bulq hummed. “How long will it take you to finish your preliminary review?”

“Perhaps a month?” Ali’ya guessed, looking over the datapads. “I’m also responsible for tracking down their various accounts with the IGBC and I need to keep up with my Brentaal classes. I don’t think the headmaster will be as willing to let me make up assignments as the Educorp is.”

“A month is more than acceptable,” Master Bulq stated, and Ali’ya’s shoulders relaxed. “You are not the only one being approached by the interim government. I have been asked to arrange oversight for the elections. Apparently, since we are outsiders we are also the only people who can be trusted to be impartial.”

“That . . . I suppose that makes sense,” Ali’ya sighed. “I . . . it’s their planet,” she huffed.

“And we caused the current instability,” Master Bulq reminded her. “The least we can do now is help put things back to rights.”

“Yes, Master.”

Quest: Phindar Completed!

Learn the truth of the Syndicat

Reward: 3,000 experience points

Bonus Quest: Avoid detection by the Syndicat Failed

Quest: Planetary Liberation Completed!

Aid the overthrow of the Syndicat

Reward: 5,000 experience points

Bonus Quest: Capture the Syndicat’s key leadership

Reward: 500 experience points per key leader captured (3,000 experience points), 100 points per minor leader captured (2,700 experience points), 20 points per non-leader captured (2,100 experience points)

Bonus Quest: Be seen as one of the revolution’s leaders

Reward: Gain perk ‘Revolutionary,’ +5 Charisma with non-Syndicat Phindians

Quest: Free Phindar

Help Phindar establish a new, post-Syndicat society

Rewards: Variable, depending on the type of society formed

Failure: -3,000 experience points, Phindar falls into civil war

Quest: End of the Line

Track down the remaining members of the Syndicat

Reward: 10 experience points per person correctly cleared or arrested

Bonus Quest: Find the Syndicat’s secret bank accounts

Reward: 500 experience points, Phindar has enough money to rebuild

Failure: Potential Famine

New Perk!

Revolutionary: You have helped lead a revolution and are seen as a liberating force by some and a destabilizing force by others. +1 Will, +1 Charisma with anti-establishment forces, and -1 Charisma with pro-establishment forces per revolution led.