The Weaving Force: Chapter 98 (Patreon)

Chapter 98:

Vicky:

Five dead… on their side at least.

Four of the Mandalorian Royal guards, and Master Anjr. 

Compared to the Mandalorians, which had about twenty three confirmed deaths lined up by the side of the room, twelve injured and three who were probably going to die without medical attention; it was an indisputable victory.

But still- it didn’t change how it felt. How she felt.

Four of those five dead were her fault. Her mistake. Because she’d taken her eye off the ball; she hadn’t been fast enough when she saw the old man slipping away.

She may have done the lion’s share of the fighting. But she was also responsible for the most fuckups here too.

“Master Dallon, Ma’am.” She turned around, finding one of the remaining royal guards approaching, shaking his head. “We can’t find her ma’am.”

Vicky felt her lip curl. 

She gets away… again.

Another fuckup.

How many more Jedi or clones would she kill before Vicky or someone strong enough to kill her got another chance?

A dozen? A Hundred?

She forced herself to take a deep breath, closing her eyes as she forced herself to find her sense of calm again.

‘What’s done is done. You can’t save everyone.’

It was her father’s voice she heard at the back of her mind now. One of his rare moments of clarity right in time to catch her after she suffered her first screw-up as Glory Girl what felt like a thousand lifetimes ago.

“Master?” Iskt asked beside her, no doubt sensing something wrong.

She offered the boy a gentle smile. “I’m alright sweetie.” She promised, hoping it wasn’t a lie. 

She let out the breath, turning her eyes to offer the guard a nod. “Keep watching the prisoners.” She requested. “I’m going to go check on Dennis and Ventress; see what they found.”

The Mandalorian nodded, fingers gripping his weapon tightly as he overlooked the collection of lightly wounded Death Watch survivors. 

“Come on Iskt.” Turning away she headed towards the back, where the server room was; her student following after her. 

It was colder further inside. Beyond the heat leaking in from outside and the torn down door, the front was filled with the cloying heat of bodies, still smoldering blaster shots and the smell of burnt circuitry and molten slag.

The light sweat she’d worked up made the cold uncomfortable, and after a second or so, she felt the Fragile One filter it out for her, keeping the external temperature ‘comfortable’ for her.

“Thanks Partner”

The little shard almost seemed to preen at the praise, the lingering guilt at the strike that had gotten through fading just that little bit more as she heard Vicky’s praise.

Finding the Server room was easy enough; she just had to spot the snarly Ventress standing outside of it.

The Ratatakki woman was staring at a spot on the far wall, arms crossed, brows scrunched together, she still looked like she was itching for a fight, but Vicky didn’t really have her own head on straight enough to help her out. Maybe later after she’d gotten herself back to an equilibrium. 

Slipping past her with a perfunctory nod, she entered the Server room to find one Mandalorian tied up at the back of the room, stiffening when she saw Vicky.

This was one of the one’s that had been fighting her.

“How’s it looking buddy?”

She turned her head, away from the Mandalorian prisoner and towards Dennis who was leaning over a computer screen, comlink in hand.

Vicky could hear Rugess’ babbling on the other side. 

Stepping forward she planted a hand on Dennis’ shoulder. “What’s up?”

“A lot. None of it good.” Dennis said. “They did two things. Tried to send and purge their data.”

“Did they manage it?”

“They would have-” Dennis nodded, then wiggled the communicator. “But Ruggess caught what they were doing on his end. Worked some magic to slow em down.

“And that’s why he’s Uncle Rugess.” Iskt chimed in cheekilly.

Dennis offered the boy a glare, Iskt turned his head to the side and up, looking away and pretending not to notice. If Trandoshan’s could whistle, Vicky had no doubt he’d be doing that. 

It made her smile, giving the boy a pat on the head before leaning towards the comlink. “You’re the best Rugg.” 

“Look-” Dennis sighed. “Fun as this is it isn’t all good news. Rugess slowed em down but he didn’t stop it. They still managed to purge almost forty percent of the data they had and they did send off almost eighty percent of it to wherever their backup site or collaborators were.”

Vicky winced. “Shit. Okay, but sixty percent ish of the data should give us a pretty clear idea on what they were working on.”

“Oh we know what they were working on!”

Dennis reached over, giving a few hard clacks on a keyboard before various holo images sprang up around them. 

Images of her, of Taylor, their clones, their battles, even their Padawans. 

Vicky’s eyes went wide “Wh-what-”

“They’re studying you.” Dennis answered. “This-” He gestured around them. “All of this is to figure out how your powers work, and design a “Fuck you in particular” weapon system for both you and Taylor! “I’m pretty sure that fucking Mecha suit out there was their proof of concept for fighting against you!”

“Well I just trashed it!” She protested. 

“You trashed a prototype! A test model. One being piloted by a guy that should’ve been in a retirement home. And even if YOU could trash it, unlike YOU these things can, theoretically be Mass produced.” Dennis shot back. “Imagine if they throw five, or even ten on a battlefield. How many can you take on at once? Two? Three? While the others rip through your Jedi and clone backup while you’re busy. They just sent eighty percent of this data somewhere else! Where they can just pick up where they left off and keep going until they work out the bugs and the kinks, whatever they were.”

Vicky stared at the surrounding images, her lips pressed into a thin, grim line. 

“It’s fine.”

“The fuck do you mean its Fine!” He snarled, angry- either on her behalf or because of her dismissal… or both.

It was sweet in a way; but she didn’t have the patience for it right now “Do you really think I would have stepped foot outside that temple, that Tay would have let me step foot outside that temple without considering that this would happen? We’ve done war games about how we’d try to kill eachother Dennis.” She answered. 

He glared at her his lips pressed tightly together. 

She made herself smile, something to reassure, make light of it; even if she herself felt anything but nauseated at the revelation. “It’s almost like home yeah?” She said. “Villains were always trying to find ways around our powers. Some even wanted to kill us.”

“Villains?’ She heard Iskt mumble behind her just as Dennis spoke up. “Not the same and you know it.”

“Well don’t get on my case about it!” She snapped, her hand whipping out to gesture vaguely in the direction of the Mandalorians being held prisoner near the entrance. “These fuck-heads started this war bombing a bunch-a civilians! I’m hardly gonna sit around with my thumb up my ass because they’re gonna get pissed when I punch em in the face! Or are you hiding a power that makes you unkillable somewhere in that ship of yours for the day the Hutts manage to catch you!?”

He opened his mouth, ready to argue when Vicky saw him visibly reign himself in, fingers pressing down over the bridge of his nose. 

She looked back at the screens “Any chance we can track down where exactly they sent the data.”

“Yes, actually-” He sighed. “Rugess is already on it. They were rerouting the signal through a few comm-buoys so we’re probably gonna get some false positives mixed in with the real one, but its better than nothing.”

“Time table?”

He did her the favor of asking the Bith on the other end of the line. 

“Few days tops.” He relayed. “But we’ve got to get moving now. I can’t imagine this firefight was subtle even by Hutt Standards; they’ll be sending someone to check things out and if I’m seen here we’re gonna have another fucking problem on our hands”

“Can Rugess track it remotely?” She asked. 

“Lets hope so.” He sighed, shaking his head. “I’ll transfer everything that’s left or at least everything I can off these servers. We can take it all with us and hope for the best; Let’s get the Mandalorians in cuffs onto the Duchess’ ship and haul ass out of here.”

She nodded, turning and beginning to march out, finding the Mandalorian woman that she’d seen before before making her way closer to pick her up and place her with the others.

As Vicky drew near, the woman recoiled, all but pressing herself into the wall behind her.

“D-don’t come near me!” She shouted, her voice on the edge of hysterical. 

Vicky’s eyebrows hiked up into her hairline; that certainly wasn’t a reaction she was used to.

She was about to tell her to move towards the other prisoners if she didn’t want Vicky dragging her there when she thought better of it.

Fear oozed through the woman’s mind like blood seeping from a wound.  Pulling back Vicky schooled her features into a cold mask of careful neutrality.

“Let me ask you something.” She began jerking her head a bit. “Mando’s aren’t exactly known as top tier scientists. Were you guys the exception or were you working with some of the seps?”

The woman didn’t answer, the subtle trembling in her body betraying her fear with her flesh alongside her writhing mind. 

The Jedi stepped closer

“I don’t know who the old man was coordinating with!” She shouted, uselessly trying to shuffle away. “We work in cells, compartmentalized information, we use in betweens, messengers, dead drops! We know Jedi can read minds!”

As Vicky read them, her words rang true. She had to curse. It was a setup she was familiar with. Lung and Kaiser had both used similar systems to protect their operations in the Bay.

“But you do know things.” Vicky pressed. “He sent you here to purge the data. Which means at the very least you have admin access, or are somewhere above footsoldier on the ladder.

“Barely.” The woman spat. “You crushed my Squad commander’s rib cage. I was the only one he had left that could do it-”

A partial truth, and a partial lie.

Vicky leaned down, her hand rising to place itself atop the woman’s helmet, hearing her whimper  and curl in on herself, her surface thoughts flickering with all the ways Vicky’s hand could crush her skull still inside the Beskar. 

“Lie to me again; and this is no longer a pleasant conversation.”

The woman’s breathing accelerated, becoming harsh and almost erratic. 

“You said it yourself, Jedi can read minds-” She couldn’t exactly (her old college courses were still valid!) surface impressions and emotional reads were quite different. Like the difference between leafing over a book and reading it. “-so why bother pissing me off if you never had a chance to trick me?”

The woman nodded. “There was someone else with access. But he escaped to. Old man sent him to get the Sith.”

Komari. Hmm. “How long have you and the Sith been friends?”

“She showed up here like, four- five days ago!” She shook her head. “Said she was here to check on progress for the guys footing the bill. Wanted to make sure the credits weren’t being wasted.”

“Then why rescue her? Giving a specific order in a very hectic fight like that doesn’t just happen.”

The woman’s fear spiked, and Vicky snapped. “Answer me!” She laced her words with a suggestion, the force barely even feeling the tepid, fragile resistance before it smashed through like punching through wet cardboard.

“She hit you!” The woman screamed. “B-boss figured, she might have figured out how to do it!”

Vicky resisted the urge to scoff. 

That hit was a combination of her carelessness and Komari getting lucky. If the bitch actually knew how to hit Vicky after today; the Jedi was gonna eat her own fucking shoe.

“L-look I don’t know anything else just don’t-” The woman trailed off, her mind once more veering towards all the ways Vicky could murder her; the myriad recent examples giving her imagination ample material to work with.

Vicky nodded. “I won’t.” She promised, standing up and gesturing towards the door behind her.. “But you’ve got a choice, either you walk or I drag you”

The woman didn’t seem to understand for a second, but after a moment to let her brain catch up she stood on wobbly legs, using the wall to support herself before giving Vicky as wide a berth as was possible in the narrow halls and beginning to walk outside.

Iskt watched it all, his reptilian eyes giving nothing away, though she sensed he had plenty to actually say.

Giving the boy the kindest smile she could muster, she opened her mind to him, urging him to do the same as she focused her thoughts to speak without their prisoner overhearing. 

“You okay buddy?”

Her Padawan nodded. 

“I’m fine Master.” He reached over, fingers lightly grazing the already scabbing injuries.

“I’m glad but- not entirely what I meant.” She reached over, patting him on the head. “I can sense you’ve got something on your mind. Thoughts running around and bothering you.-”

She stopped herself from just ‘demanding’ he speak up- amending at the last moment. “You wanna talk about it?”

She saw his cheeky, needle toothed smirk. “Are we ‘talking’ now? I thought we had to use our voices for that Master.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re getting too snarky in your old age. Ya know that?”

“First lesson as Your Padawan Master; There’s no such thing as too much snark.”

She rolled her eyes even harder. “I’m banning you from hanging out with Anakin… And Taylor too! She put you up to this insolence didn’t she!? Tay would do that! Getting other people to do her snark and witty comments for her. Typical Master type cape behavior.

Her Padawan grinned, far too pleased with himself. 

Then he grew serious. 

“Do you really think its fine?” He asked. “That they’re devoting so much effort to try and kill you?”

She winced. “I meant fine as in ‘We have other priorities’ What’s happening here was something we always knew was going to happen. I may not have thought it would have happened this soon; but even if I didn’t know, Tay made it abundantly clear that we were going to get pushback, we were going to piss people off- this… Just came with the territory.”

He was quiet for a moment, his mind awhirl with thoughts as he considered things. She risked delving a little deeper, past the projected thoughts, even past the surface thoughts just a bit.

“You’re a priority too Master.”

She felt her heart flutter and choke in her chest. Equal parts touched and worried that she’d said the wrong thing.

But before she could find a way to address it his intended thoughts reached her. 

“Was their weapon a risk? To you I mean? Were you in any danger?”

She shook her head. “Scale of one to ten- that thing, on its own, barely cracked a four.”

Honestly it was a little… odd to think that. Back during her Glory Girl days, that suit would have been very dangerous to go toe to toe with. Its armor wasn’t exactly unbeatable, but- as Komari so recently reminded her, all they need is one good solid hit and that’s it for her. The suit could last in a fight, had weaponry that could get past her shield if she made a mistake or was caught off guard, and its pilot had a lot more combat experience than she did.

As Glory Girl, not Jedi Master Dallon; that might have been one of the defining fights of her career highlight reel… if she survived it.

Now, for all their effort, all they had to show for it was a bloody lip because of her own stupidity.

“But as you already heard, the real danger is potential mass production. One suit per Jedi Master would be a great trade, but even that would be unsustainable. I can only be in one place at a time, whereas those suits and their pilots can take out… hundreds maybe even thousands of people if the pilot’s good enough before they’re put down.”

“And the Seperatists can keep making more faster than we can make Jedi.” Iskt nodded. “I understand… lets hope Rugess can trace that second off site.”

He hid it, and he hid it well, but she could feel the disquiet in his mind as he pulled away from their connection, gently returning his mind to its neutral, ‘sealed’ state. 

She reached over, one arm coiling around his shoulders to pull him close in a pseudo hug. She felt his curiosity, but he didn’t complain.

Good boy.

Making their way to the front of the facility, the last Mando prisoner joined her remaining fellows, surrounded by the remaining royal guards. “Alright.” She sighed. “Lets get these guys ready for transport.” She said… pausing for a moment. “You guys can take the live ones back to Mandalore, or Corellia” She nodded. “I think we’ll be taking the dead back to the temple.”

“Why?” One of the Royal guards asked. More curious than anything.

“Actually, I misspoke-” She chuckled just a bit. “We’ll be taking their gear. Beskar armor that will probably fit clones really well.

One of the remaining Death Watch members, tried to stand, and rush her, receiving a solid rifle but to the back of his helmeted skull for his efforts as he cursed her in various creative ways in Mando’a Another stood, this time speaking in coming. “Beskar’ga is meant for Mandalorians! And by ancient rite will be passed onto their descendants and fellow clan members. Not your clones Jedi!”

Vicky tossed the man a look out of the corner of her eye. 

“Didn’t you hear Mandalorian?” She asked rhetorically. “Last I checked, by order of the Duchess Satine as voiced by the Senator from Mandalore, all Death Watch members have been struck from Mandalore’s records… You have no clan to pass this armor onto.” 

She smirked, feeling their seething hatred like an open furnace beside her. “Which means that this Beskar goes to the one that kills you. Seeing as how that was me, and I’ve got a Clone legion full of Mandalorian boys to put clothes on their backs-”

She shrugged.

“Thanks for your contribution to the war effort.

(x)(x)(x)

Honestly this chapter was supposed to be a bit longer; there were a few more scenes planned for it- but life just decided to hit me ALL at once this last week. A 16 hour surprise power outage put all my actual RL work on the back foot, needing to file an eviction to get a beligerent tennant out of the apartment I'm renting to him along with some miscelaneous troubles.So yeah, apologies for the delay and "short" chapter, (its probably gonna be a bitch to work the pacing later) but I kinda wanted to just "finish" and post it, hopefully next week things are better/easier.

At any rate, I hope you all enjoyed it regardless of length. As some SBer's pointed out, Anakin will be the White Scars, Tay the Thousand Sons, and Vicky's will rapidly become 'The Magpie's' Or "The Blood Ravens" as other, less cultural people might know them.

Next chapter we'll be in for a bit of a surprise. But a pleasant one. Unlike my week.

Thank you all for your time and joining me here I'll catch you in the next one :)