The Weaving Force: Chapter 34 (Patreon)

Chapter 34:

Vicky:

Zygerria really was a beautiful place, unlike any she’d seen before.

It reminded her of ancient depictions of Persia or the middle east. The architecture was an eclectic mix of Mayan and ancient Egyptian, in a sense.

Add to that the cat people and… well… It was almost like a theme park or something.

Honestly, the stealth factor was just adding to the mystique of the whole thing.

And she was being stealthy. Yoda would vouch for her.

She floated above the city streets, watching the comings and goings of the people, particularly from the palace. If she was gonna catch something suspicious, it’d be there.

She heard a quiet sigh from her shoulder. Curious, she turned her head, finding  a strange expression on Yoda’s face as he stared down into the city.

“Something up?” she asked, her eyebrow hiking up to rest somewhere near her forehead.

“Memory. Long, it is,” the little gremlin sighed, pointing with his stick towards a building that dominated the skyline, just in front of the palace. “A command center, it was.” The stick shifted to the market square. “A final stand. General Kordac. Fierce, the fighting was.”

Vicky’s brain stuttered for a moment, mind desperately trying to catch up before things clicked.

“You were here,” she whispered, realization in her voice. “You were one of the Jedi that came with the Republic and brought down the Zygerrian slave empire six hundred years ago.”

Yoda nodded, eyes distant and cloudy with memory.

She so very often forgot that Yoda was more than just everyone’s lovable grandpa with a stick and a listening ear. He was a relic who’d lived and breathed hundreds of years of history. A living, breathing witness to countless events.

“What was it like?” she ventured to ask, the wind catching her voice. “Fighting back then? Seeing the differences now? Is it weird or… are you, like, used to it?”

“Always strange, it is. But good as well.” He nodded. “Seeing the passage of time- the changes to the galaxy, its people.”

“But not all change is good,” she argued. “In fact, I’ve read the records.” She and Tay both had, in an effort to catch up with galactic history they’d spent months at a time doing nothing but reading books and dataslates, especially regarding the Jedi and the Republic. “The Jedi were… I don’t know. Stronger? Better?”

Now, Yoda turned his head, looking at her. “As strong as needed, the Jedi order is?”

“Are you!?” She couldn’t keep the incredulity from her voice. “The Republic had an army back then. One that could stop slavery like this, and did. Now it doesn’t even have that, and the Jedi Order is smaller and weaker than ever-Ow.”

The complaint was more reflex than anything. The light boop on her forehead was hardly anything more than the little green man looking to interject; she knew the difference.

“Fighting is not the Jedi way. Strength measured it should not be-”

“But it shouldn’t be discarded, either,” she contested, arms crossing. “You guys are supposed to be peacekeepers, but, frankly, you don’t have the numbers for peacekeeping. The Jedi Order numbered nearly half a million by the time of the Rusaan reformations, and now, you’re barely cracking ten thousand. And how many of those are Padawans? If you guys placed just ONE jedi on ONE planet you wouldn’t even cover the primary core worlds, let alone the rest of the galaxy that actually needs help! It just…” She sighed.

“Passionate about this subject, you are,” Yoda observed, not unkindly.

She took a moment to gather her thoughts. Trying to find a way to word… everything.

“I just feel like…” She sighed again. “I feel like you guys just… take it for granted that everything will be ok. That things can’t get ‘bad.’ But me and… and especially Tay. We’ve seen how bad things get when there simply aren’t enough good people to put out every fire. And from everything I’ve seen and read, the Jedi have been sliding into that exact scenario,” she said. “You guys just… you’ve had things ‘under control’ for so long you’re not seeing that the status quo of things being peaceful and good only lasts as long as it's maintained. Cared for like a garden. If you don’t have enough gardeners…” she trailed off

“Hmmm.” Yoda rubbed at his chin. Not agreeing. But not disagreeing either. “What solution would you offer?”

“Start expanding again?” she answered instantly. “Hell, if you need help convincing the others, I’m sure me and Tay can give you guys charts. Half a million to ten thousand is a drop-” She started, a thought occurring to her. “You must remember what it was, and how it changed. It must’ve happened bit by bit but when you look at the two extremes… well…”

Yoda’s features fell, suddenly looking every single one of his years.She felt… a little bad at making him feel whatever he was feeling, but this had been something that needed to be said. She really did feel like the Jedi were reaching a crisis point in terms of how little they could actually help the galaxy

Ten thousand to cover a Galaxy was laughably small. Gross negligence was a word that very well could apply.

A feeling tickled the back of her mind, a fluttering whisper of excited anticipation.

She turned her head, following the feeling in the force and from the Fragile One to see someone with a pair of palace guards marching, very determinedly towards… well… something.

She pointed. “Wanna check that guy out?”

“Hrm.” Yoda nodded. “Trust in your feelings, you should.”

“Ok then,” she chirped, slowly descending from the skies above. “My feelings say, ‘screw that guy in particular,’ so let’s go!

Yoda chuckled.

(X)(X)(X)

Dooku:

The Utapau security complex, like all of their structures, was a tight, claustrophobic space: its hallways narrow, its ceilings low. The support columns of thick white bone gave every structure the feeling of walking through the bowels of some monstrous, long dead beast.

Kronos was not accompanying him at the moment, too busy overseeing the promised repairs to the Vista alongside the Bith, Rugess. Instead, the Mandalorian woman shadowed his steps. If his memory served, she had some experience in law enforcement, so perhaps she would be useful in this venture.

The officer escorting them was a Palauan - long limbed, gaunt face, grey flesh. Regardless, he bowed low as he addressed them, no doubt instructed to show obeisance by the banking representatives in control of this system.

“This is all of the evidence our officers have discovered since the investigation began,” the alien said, handing Dooku a single datapad.

The Count began to browse the security teams’ findings.

The assassins fled towards Sector Fifteen-G. Said sector was cordoned off at the moment, and being actively searched as well. Their armor had been permitted through checkpoints, but their weapons had been smuggled through; illegal mods had made them invisible to scanners.

They’d arrived just sixteen hours ahead of Dooku’s own party. They had killed the Rodian Guriwik approximately four hours later, so he had been dead twelve hours before Dooku’s own arrival.

They had reached the hangar bay by taking transport terminal nine, originating from the fourth floor, Subsector D, where they’d apparently been staying in a local hotel: The Caliphaten.

The four rooms had been paid for in advance, for a week, in cash.

That information was useful. It told him the Sith didn’t know exactly where Dooku was. He merely had guesswork on that front. Otherwise, why spend needless money on getting your squad of assassins a place to stay for a week when they’d only realistically use it for less than a single day.

The Mandalorian woman stood at his shoulder, reading over it.

How inconsiderate of him.

He looked to the Palauan officer, glaring down his nose at the man. “A copy, if you please.” It was not a request.  “So my associate might read the reports as well.”

The officer looked startled, then winced in apparent shame before hastily bowing and rushing to go make a copy.

He drifted his eyes down to keep reading.

The assassins’ weaponry was illegally modified, though that was unsurprising. Even beyond the scrambling tech that made them invisible to scanners, there was evidence on the weapons fire impacts along the walls and the Rodians body that showed significantly higher discharge outputs than normal. Something he would need to keep in mind if he found himself deflecting their blasters in the near future. The impact on his Saber would be significantly greater than a standard shot.

Preliminary examination of the corpses - and, of course, the live prisoner - showed that the Bando Gora were also under the influence of narcotics.

Several. Including multiple illegal combat stims. Something else he could use. Addicts were weak-minded after all.

The officer returned, bowing once again as he handed the Mandalorian woman her own dataslate. She nodded, offering a shallow bow of her own in thanks as she took it and began reading for herself.

Hmmm… Surveillance footage had detected approximately sixteen members of the Bando’Gora - or at least sixteen people participating in this mission - but no sign of Komari on any of their instruments. No doubt, her absence was to avoid this exact scenario.

“That’s odd.”

Slightly startled at the woman’s voice, Dooku turned, raising an eyebrow. “What is?”

The woman scrolled up and down the datapad as if searching for something, her eyes narrowing.

“Their arrival,” she answered. “The reports tell us when they arrived, but not through what transport. Or what hangar bay.”

He scrolled back up to the arrival times and noted that she was, indeed, right. It wasn’t listed. He hadn’t noticed because it would otherwise be immaterial, but the utter lack of record immediately made it suspect.

“Officer,” he called, making the Palauan straighten where he stood. “The records regarding the transport vessel used by the assassins; where are they?”

He handed the alien his datapad, watching as the officer’s expression became strained before he handed it back.

“I’m sorry sir; if the information is not present it either hasn’t been found or has been redacted due to security reasons.”

“Redacted.” He growled somewhere in his throat. Because if they got the time and the hangar bay they arrived in, then it couldn’t be the alternative. “On whose authority!?”

The Palauan officer cringed away from Dooku, inching back and holding his hands up on a warding gesture. “I’m afraid I cannot say, sir.”

Dooku’s irritation spiked. A flash of annoyance cutting through his calm.

This inquiry was certainly not over, but for now…

“Where is the prisoner?”

“Thraus Hospital, sir,” the officer answered. “I’ve been told you’d like to speak with him; an escort is prepared to lead you there whenever you’re ready.”

“Then we will go now.”

(X)(X)(X)

Vicky

You know… for a galaxy with flying cars. People looked up remarkably little; just like home.

… Actually, come to think of it: Would having flying cars sensitize or desensitize people to looking up? At home, if you saw something in the air out of the corner of your eye, you’d probably look up. Here, maybe not…

Huh…

Questions for later.

As she floated above the… whoever he was,  Vicky drifted just close enough to listen as he spoke on holo to multiple people. He treated each with varying degrees of either politeness or disdain, but nothing incriminating; at least not yet.

Then, finally he hung up with the latest conversation and-

“I take it you’ve heard, the Republic sent Jedi-”

She tossed Yoda a look, and the little green goblin remained clinging at her shoulder, eyes closed but his ears perked all the way up to try and listen in better.

“-Right. They’re confined to the palace for now. That gives us time to move the shipment somewhere more secure.”

Bingo.

She tensed, ready to swoop down, pluck the little bastard up by his hairs if need be and fly up until they were breathing clouds. People tended to get talkative when they were at a point where they could hit terminal velocity.

But before she could do much more than start the motion to dive down, Yoda’s hand tapped her on the shoulder, shaking his head; telling her no.

“Why?” She whispered.

“Seen, we must not be.” Yoda reminded her. “Master Gallia’s task, difficult enough it is. The laws, we must obey.”

She opened her mouth, then shut it, crossing her arms with a huff of air as she kept floating above the slaving bastard to keep listening.

“How long can they be held there?”

There was a pause as the answer came through, but it was impossible to hear through the man’s earpiece.

“Good. The Jedi should be gone within that time once they find nothing. They’ve requested  the financial records of the entire court. I’ll be sure to keep your name out of it. No. They won’t find anything wrong with mine, I assure you.”

Vicky grinned.

Perfect.

They didn’t have a name, but she was sure they could narrow down the list of suspects with what she already knew.

Yoda evidently agreed. With another tap against her shoulder, he signaled her to retreat. She gently drifted away until the man and his guards were out of earshot.

“Return to Master Gallia, we should,” Yoda said. “Our time, almost up it is.”

She nodded. Honestly, she hadn’t really been paying attention to their allotted curfew of an hour and fifteen minutes, but she supposed it was getting close to that time.

Flying off towards their rooms, she saw the large frame window opening that led to the common area of their residence wing, ready to swoop in right on time and assure Adi Gallia that everything was more than alright.

Entering the window, she found Adi pacing the center of the room, hands behind her back.

“Tah-dah!” Vicky smiled as she touched down, hands stretched out as she took a bow. “See? No harm done, and we found out something very interesting!”

Adi sighed; the sagging relief on her shoulders was utterly unmistakeable.

“Oh, thank the Force,” she breathed. “Go and get changed; we can discu-”

There was a knock at their door.

“Masters Jedi, we’ve been tasked with inspecting your rooms-”

The door began to open.

Yoda immediately jumped up, off her shoulder and onto the chandelier. Vicky, startled, wondered if this was some kind of pavlovian response of his because that reaction sure as shit wasn’t normal!

Then she realized what she looked like. Dressed in what was certainly not sleep-wear or anything you’d wear if you were staying in your room, her hair and clothes sprinkled with sand.

She definitely couldn’t be seen like this.

Adi damn near shoved her towards her room, but the door started to open before she got there.

So Vicky did the only thing she could think of.

She floated up, onto the high ceiling, hiding just above the entry door.

Adi’s face of pure stricken panic was… absolutely hilarious.

And in the next instant it was gone, replaced with placid calm that would have given Tay a run for her money as three guards entered the common area.

“Guardsmen,” she drawled, “how may I help you?”

The lead guardsman bowed. “Lady Jedi, forgive the intrusion. But we’ve heard some reports that require us to inspect your rooms and make certain you’re complying with the royal edict to remain here until you’re cleared.”

“This is most insulting, guardsman,” Adi sneered, straightening as she clasped her hands behind her back, drawing herself up to her full height. “We are Jedi, and we obey the laws of the republic and sovereign planets we visit.”

“I understand, ma’am. Just following orders.” The guardsman gestured towards the rooms.

Vicky glanced up from the back of the guards towards the chandelier-

Yoda was gone.

She stared at the spot where the little green man should be, only to confirm that, yes- the little green gremlin was missing from the chandelier. The glass chandelier that should have tinkled and made plenty of noise when he moved…

Like… Impressive… but also- How?

One guardsman entered her room, the other Yoda’s.

Not five seconds later, Yoda’s guard exited; regretting his life choices as a stick was clanging rather loudly against his armored shins.

*Clang* “Most rude, this is!” *Clang* “Intrusive, it is!” *Clang!*

“Ow! Sir! Please! I didn’t mean to interrupt your nap!”

*CLANG* “Meditating, I was!”

Her guardsman exited her room. “Sir, I can’t find the third one.”

“She’s in the fresher.” Adi answered immediately.

The guard captain nodded. “We’ll wait to confirm-”

“Guardsman.” Adi’s voice dropped an octave, pure anger in her tone. “You will not wait for my Padawan to exit the fresher in a state of undress so you might inspect for yourself. You have your confirmation. Get. Out.”

The man paused, and for a moment Vicky wondered if he’d call Adi’s bluff.

Then he sighed, gesturing to his two men.

“We’re done. Let’s go.” He turned back towards Adi Galia, nodding. “Sorry for the intrusion, ma’am. Thank you for your cooperation.”

*Clang*

“Ow!” The guard hobbled rather quickly out of Yoda’s reach, muttering about how his armor was useless.

As the door shut behind the three guardsmen, Adi’s entire mask crumpled, revealing the thousand yard stare of a woman that had just looked at bad potential futures in the face and didn’t appreciate the experience.

Vicky sloooooowly floated towards her door. “I’mma go… take a shower now… yeah…”

She shut the door before Adi could gather herself for the full reprimand she just knew was coming.

A shower sounded really really good right about now actually.

…

Maybe a long soak.

(X)(X)(X)

Dooku:

The medical room held the sharp, stinging scent of antiseptics, disinfectants, and chemical cleaning supplies. The monitoring equipment beeped and blooped with the rhythmic tracking of the prisoner’s vitals.

The prisoner, himself, was conscious - his surface thoughts were obvious enough for that - though his eyes were closed. A tube was stuffed down his throat, his limbs shackled to the railings of his hospital bed, and bandages slathered with bacta were draped over his chest where, apparently, Kronos had shot him twice. It was a small miracle he’d survived.

Quietly, Dooku stepped inside the room. The hiss of the door made the prisoner’s eyes open, and the immediate hostility and recognition was a most welcome thing. It would keep things from dragging on for too long.

The Mandalorian woman stepped in behind him, and as she did, Dooku sensed the man’s sharp spike of fear.

Interesting.

Floating a chair over to set it beside the bed, Dooku sat in the cheap furniture as if enthroning himself. “You know who I am.” It wasn’t a question. “As such, I know who it is that assigned you this task. I’d prefer to make things quick. Where is she?”

Dooku slid a pad and pen towards the man, slipping the writing utensil into his grip. The Assassin glanced at the tool, then back to Dooku, no doubt contemplating if he could use it to finish the job.

“Don’t try it,” he warned.

The assassin’s eyes narrowed, but then he shrugged, though the movement caused him to wince in sudden, unexpected pain.

He began to write.

Dooku waited for a moment, letting the man scratch at the pad with the point of the pen before he stopped.

Pulling the pad free he read the words.

“Vosa wants you to know. Only reason I’m saying anything. She won’t stay on Utapau. If you want to face her. You’ll leave the system and face her, alone.”

That explains why she targeted the ship. She wished him isolated. A trap, no doubt.

“Where?” he asked, once again sliding the pad under the man’s hand.

The man scribbled down his answer.

“Mining platform 13611 - Outer Rim. Galvatros system.”

Hmmm. Galvatros system. Quite a distance from here. Remote. There would be few, if any people passing through.

It was also far away from any known Bando’Gora holdings.

Another reason to target the ship. To delay his leaving. Give her time to ‘set the stage,’ as it were.

He would be walking into a trap. “I see,” he drawled. “Thank you.”

He pulled the pad and the pen free. The Mandalorian woman tossed him a questioning look. He shook his head. “Not here”

She followed him out the door with nary a complaint as the cogs in Dooku’s mind began to turn.

He was not like his two foolish students. He would not simply go and “spring the trap”

He was not above using it for himself, however.

(X)(X)(X)

Yarael Poof

Yarael Poof wasn’t used to being in command of the Jedi Council.

To be frank, it was rare for both Master Yoda and Master Windu to be out on missions simultaneously, and therefore rare for another member to be assigned as head of the Council in their absence.

But, it had happened now for Padawan Dallon and Hebert’s Jedi trials, and so, the task had fallen to him this time.

He’d hoped things would stay relatively quiet, but, alas, that was not the case. Particularly today, when they’d received this message from, of all people, Siri Tachi.

“What should be done?” He asked his fellow Council members

Saese Tiin rubbed at his jaw, glowering at the holo message. “Padawan Tachi has never once asked us for any kind of assistance. If she’s asking now, I’m inclined to provide it.”

“As am I,” Plo-Koon added. “I see no reason why we should not send aid immediately. The Bando’Gora are a known assassin guild, one that actively seeks out and indoctrinates Force Sensitives. If not us, then who is to contend with them?”

“Whilst I understand the concern,” Master Koth cut in, “should we not also be concerned about Padawan Tachi? Acting on this information might reveal her as a spy if it’s traced back to her.”

“Our success is not guaranteed, either,” Master Rancisis pointed out, serpentine body rippling as he moved in his seat. “The Jedi contended with the Bando’Gora years ago. We failed then.”

“Does that mean we should simply surrender?” Master Piel sneered, shaking his head. “No. I don’t know this Kronos that Tachi wishes us to save, but we have a responsibility,” the tiny Master said firmly. “I say we send Master Galia a message, and I myself volunteer to go to Utapau immediately.”

“I agree.” Master Billaba nodded. “I will accompany Master Piel.”

Poof glanced around the room, wondering if there’d be any voices of dissent. Instead, he caught an odd look from one member in particular. “Master Mundi?” he asked.

The Cerean Jedi’s features were scrunched up in thought. “Kronos… I believe I’ve heard that name before.”

The Master’s brows furrowed, clearly trying to leverage the Cerean species’s prodigious powers of recollection to their fullest before his eyes snapped open in realization.

“Master Dooku!” he gasped. “I recall Master Dooku’s last report.”

Poof tried to rack his own memory at that, only to remember he hadn’t actually read Dooku’s last report. The taciturn Master had been investigating the supposed returned Sith for years now; searching for the ones responsible for Qui-Gon’s death with no luck.

The latest report hadn’t been one he’d read directly; he’d been too busy and hadn’t managed to catch up on it, trusting that if there was something that was of note here that he’d learn of it through the Council meetings.

“What do you recall?” He asked, head leaning forward on his long neck so he might rest his chin on his hand.

“Master Dooku claimed he was getting close to the Sith and would be hiring transportation. Kronos was a name he mentioned…”

“If that’s true, then it’s entirely possible the Bando’Gora are aiming to kill not just Kronos, but Dooku, as well,” Plo-Koon said. “There is no need to debate further,” the Master said firmly. “We must act. If Masters Billaba and Piel will proceed to Utapau, I will move immediately to inform Master Galia, Knight Kenobi, and Padawan Skywalker. Then, I will travel there, myself, as well.

“Three Jedi Masters - possibly more, a Knight and a Padawan…” Poof balked, just a bit. (Because knowing Kenobi and Skywalker they would be going headfirst into danger immediately of course)

That was… a significant level of fighting strength for one mission.

“The last time the Jedi battled against the Bando Gora, we had nearly double that number,” Piel pointed out. “We still failed to bring them down.”

Poof hesitated, unsure in his decision without Master’s Yoda or Windu here to give their approval, but eventually, he sighed. It would be worse if he did not act.

“Very well.” He nodded. “May the Force be with all of you.”

Masters Piel, Billaba, and Plo each stood from their seats, bowing towards the Council before immediately marching out the door to prepare for their mission with all due haste.

(X)(X)(X)

And so, we're gearing up for a pretty big showdown all of a sudden :3

And Yoda was *meditating* Know the difference!