The Weaving Force: Chapter 36 (Patreon)

Chapter 36:

Vicky

“I’m afraid, Minister, that there seems to be a discrepancy.”

She had to give Master Galia credit; the woman’s voice didn’t give a single hint that they knew beforehand someone would be missing from the provided list.

“What seems to be the issue?” It’s not the Prime Minister who answers. Rather, it’s the princess. She was a lithe, svelte woman with large, fox-like ears and cat-like features. The anthropomorphic blend of human and feline seemed to be much more… favorable in the Zygerrian females as opposed to their males, being close enough to human to be recognizable but alien enough to clearly have their own aesthetic strengths without falling into the uncanny valley issue the males of the species had.

Even so, attractive or not, Vicky didn’t trust the bitch as far as she could- oh, no, wait. Not a good analogy in her case.

Hmmm.

Anyway! Analogy aside, she didn’t trust the princess; the young woman just had an air about her that screamed ‘cut-throat bitch’. Or a ‘punch-me-bitch face.’ Either or.

“Cross-referencing our list of Zygerrian court officials, I’m afraid someone’s records are, in fact, missing. Who compiled these?’

The Prime Minister frowned. “Menial Doksu was tasked with compiling the records for your perusal.”

“I’m sure it was an innocent error, but please,” Adi’s voice dipped and, though it was politely worded, the look on her face said this was not a request, “bring him here.” She eyed the pages. “And please find the financial records of an Earl...” she trailed off, the little R-5 droid helpfully beeping at her side, “…Melicost.”

It was subtle, but she caught the way the Prime Minister’s eyes flickered over towards the Princess before he caught himself, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. “Of course. We wish for nothing more than to cooperate fully and see this matter resolved.”

“I’ll bet,” Vicky didn’t say.

Yoda, sitting in his own little corner of the room on some plush pillows, was sort of playing up the hapless old man angle; pretending to nod off in his seat, though his slightly twitching ears gave away the fact that he was very much paying attention.

The Prime Minister marched out of the room, and Vicky kept her eyes firmly fixed on the Zygerrian princess for any hint of distress or concern.

But the woman kept her face fairly placid, not even a twitch of an ear as she clasped her hands behind her back.

Maybe she actually wasn’t involved, and Vicky was letting her preconceptions of the woman’s ‘please-punch-me-bitch’ face cloud her judgment

Master Galia sipped quietly at her tea.

The silence in the room was somewhere between awkward and oppressive but Vicky was determined to not be the one to break it.

Finally, after several long minutes, the Prime Minister returned, carrying another datapad. “These are the records of Earl Melicost and Menial Doksu has been summoned as per your request.”

“Thank you, Prime Minister,” Adi answered, smiling pleasantly, as she extended her hand to accept the datapad. With a few swipes and button presses, the data within was being uploaded onto Adi’s R-5, who dutifully chirped beside her as he began to parse through the information.

She began to pace as the droid worked. Just a three step movement from left to right, spreading out her senses towards the Prime Minister, the guards and the Princess herself.

General irritation, annoyance, impatience; but nothing incriminating. Nothing that would hint to their involvement per-se.

The Princess herself was almost a wall of static; her mental discipline was a cut above her subordinates. Which was interesting really; was that sort of thing a holdover from an era where Jedi were more active in Republic diplomacy or a byproduct of something else.

Before she could ruminate further on the theory R-5 blooped and bleeped, shaking from side to side on his legs.

Master Galia once more reached for her datapad, beginning to read.

“I’m afraid R-5 has discovered quite a few discrepancies in Earl Melicosts’ financials.” She turned to look at the little droid. “He’s the only one with such extreme flaws.”

The droid blooped an affirmative; and Adi’s eyes narrowed.

“I see.” Again, given everything Vicky and Yoda had heard, this was expected, but Master Galia was selling the performance rather well. Who knew she was good at this sort of thing?

She turned her attention back towards the Prime Minister and the Princess. “I’m sorry to say it seems somewhat suspicious that of all the courtiers to be missing from our list this is the one that isn’t present. Where is Menial Doksu?”

“He is on his way.” The Prime Minister grumbled, crossing his arms, a spike of anger slashing across the feel of his force signature. Was that because they caught someone breaking the law, or because they caught someone?

“Maybe I should go look.” She volunteered, feeling eyes dart her way. She stared down the prime minister and the princess, offering a coy smirk. “Wouldn’t want him to run away.”

“He will not.” The Prime Minister’s lip curled, just barely holding back the sneer at the last moment. “My men can be trusted.”

That’s what I’m worried about. She didn’t say.

Tossing a look to Master Galia, the Tothlothian Jedi Master subtly shook her head, sipping on her tea.

Looks like they were waiting.

Again, the room fell into silence, broken only by the mumbling “sleep” sounds from Master Yoda in the corner.

Finally; after what felt like an uncomfortably long time, the doors opened, and two guards escorting a man in burgundy red robes and a funny hat marched in.

Immediatelythe room was awash in the man’s overpowering feeling of dread and anxiety. As high as Vicky had been, she hadn’t gotten a good look at the man’s face. But this was a decent sign.

He gave very few outward signs to his discomfort beyond the stiff backed bow. “How might this one serve?”

The Prime Minister rounded on the man. “Menial Doksu- we have reason to believe you withheld the identity of a the Earl Melicost in your list of financials to the Jedi. What have you to say?”

The man’s fear and anxiety spiked, damn near panic burning through his presence in the force.

“I… I”

“You should tell us what happened?” Master Galia cut in, her fingers barely moving as she prodded him with a mind trick.

His mental defenses buckled like wet cardboard. “I… should tell you what happened.” He repeated dully as he straightened, hollow eyed and ‘blank’ as he followed the order.

The Menial took a breath. “Earl Melicost has been smuggling slaves from the outer rim. He and his co-horts, for now, hold a monopoly on the trade to keep it ‘unseen’ by authorities. He has a sponsor, though I do not know who that is.” He amended quickly. “He’s taken the latest shipment to his summer home in the northern Ispani desert.”

“You worthless cur!” The Prime Minister roared, crossing the room in an eyeblink and backhanding the menial so hard Vicky saw a spurt of blood fly across the room to spatter across the furniture infront of her

I know where that is.” The princess volunteered primly. “He held a party there several years ago. Ostentatious, gaudy thing really.” She sniffed. “I will gather my royal guard. Let us go and get this done immediately.”

“We can handle this.” Adi Galia answered, standing with an enviable calm and serenity on her face. Vicky almost nodded. The last thing she wanted was to be both outnumbered and possibly betrayed when they went into the slaver’s hold

“Nonsense.” The princess shook her head. “Should I allow you to be injured in carrying out this task, what would the wider Galaxy think of us?” The woman smirked before turning sharply on her heel. “I will go and make my men ready.”

Vicky tossed Master Galia a look, and caught out of the corner of her eye Master Yoda peeking an eye open as the Princess walked out of the room, the Prime Minister following after her.

Fuck, she wished Taylor was here. She’d listen in on everyone in this palace and know for sure what the fuck they were planning. None of this overly paranoid suspicions and second guessing every move.

(X)(X)(X)

Obi-Wan

“Master Plo, slow down please; what is happening?” Obi-Wan didn’t usually need a repeated explanation. But Master Plo suddenly calling him out of the blue talking about Utapau, the Bando Gora, Master Dooku being in danger and so on- well… he felt he could be forgiven for needing a quick recap.

Thankfully, Master Plo obliged him.

“We received an emergency transmission for assistance from an undercover Jedi Knight Kenobi. It’s informed us that the Bando Gora, an elite band of assassins is seeking out Master Dooku. Master’s Billaba, Piell and myself are on our way to Utapau now to aid Master Dooku; as his apprentices, I felt you should be informed.”

“Informed!?” He balked, turning to share a look with Anakin who had remained uncharacteristically silent beside him. “We’re on our way.”

Plo nodded, as though it was entirely expected. “Very well. Once we establish contact with Master Dooku, I will contact you again.”

With a blue flicker, Master Plo cut the transmission.

Anakin straightened, offering a little smug smirk. “So- what ship are we taking to Utapau? It should be a fast one eh Master?”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “Something that you won’t be driving.” He answered.

He considered for a moment if he should order Anakin to stay behind. As powerful as his apprentice was; he was still just a boy of thirteen. Hardly an age where he should be participating in a battle against a league of assassins that believed themselves prepared enough to take down Master Dooku.

But almost immediately he dismissed the notion. If he ordered Anakin to stay behind; the boy was bound to steal a ship and follow him anyway. R2 would certainly be no help in stopping his foolishness.

Best to keep him in sight than let him get up to mischief on his own.

And he was indeed powerful. Under his and Dooku’s tutelage  Anakin had excelled at his combat disciplines and practices. Makashi, Soresu, Djem-so. Add to that his own, nearly overwhelming affinity in the Force and many times Obi-Wan found himself training harder just to stay ahead of the boy lest it inflate his ego too much.

“Aww but Master, you never let me drive!” Anakin bemoaned.

“I am sworn under pain of severe harm that I am never to allow you to crash ‘half a ship’ again.” He answered drily.

The look Padawan Hebert had given Obi-Wan could have curdled powdered milk- not helped at all by Padawan Dallon laughing like a Kowakian Monkey Lizard the entire time.

Anakin snickered, following Obi-Wan out of the door. “Do you think they’ll pass?” He asked.

It took a second for Obi-Wan to place the question

“Dallon and Hebert?” The question was mostly rhetorical, meant to make certain that he was right than anything else.

Obi-Wan shrugged. “I hope so,” he answered truthfully-

Dallon and Hebert were… irregular. And that had helped Anakin a great deal. After all- it's one thing to be unique. And entirely another to simply be rare. As a boy accepted when he was nine, the issue of his age was utterly eclipsed by two young girls being accepted when they were in their mid and late teens.

The expectations on Anakin had been reduced, allowing the boy to flourish without that weight on his shoulders.

If Padawan Hebert or Dallon passed their trials, that trend would continue.

If they didn't, Obi-Wan feared that scrutinous eyes would turn again towards Anakin’s own fitness.

So yes. He hoped Dallon and Hebert passed.

Was it… utilitarian of him to have such a hope for these reasons?

Perhaps.

But Anakin hadn’t been the only one to learn a thing or two from Master Dooku. Utilitarianism and Practicality had its own place.

“Come. We must hurry if we’re to help Master Dooku on Utapau.” He hurried down the hall, Anakin following after him.

(X)(X)(X)

Vicky:

They flew quickly across the surface of the planet. The Royal speeders carrying her, Master Yoda, Master Galia, the princess and a dozen royal guards.

They flew low, close enough to the desert sands that Vicky felt that she might just reach out the side of the speeder and brush her hands across the silken gold sands.

“We’re beginning final approach”

The pilot’s voice crackled through the speakers  in their headrests, and Vicky turned her gaze upwards to see what she may have otherwise confused as a villa of some kind. Several buildings making up the whole of the complex, an electric fence surrounding the grounds filled with what she could only guess was livestock of some kind. Possibly this world’s equivalent to horses or some other ‘luxury’ animals?

And right there tending to those animals. Non-Zygerrians.

Non Zygerrian’s dressed in rags.

With peculiar collars around their neck.

“Well that’s a smoking gun if I ever saw one.” She muttered, her voice lost in the rush of the wind.

The speeders began to slow, descending like hovering helicopters, the howl of their engines were loud and the exhaust kicked up gales of sand. The slaves gawked and looked with worried confusion as the dozen soldiers leapt out of their speeders and fanned out, weapons ready.

The Princess herself stepped outside of her speeder, hands behind her back- Master Yoda and Galia stepping out as Victoria herself let her feet crunch onto the sand.

From the main doors- a man emerged. His robes were… opulent. She wasn’t an expert on alien styles but expensive was something of a universal language. The robes looked like silk, the lining was threaded in gold, dyed in a glossy purple. Oh yeah. This guy liked money.

“M-My Princess!?” The Earl Melicost stuttered only a tiny bit as he bowed hastily. “Your visit is… most welcome.”

“Somehow I doubt that” The Princess drawled, tossing a pointed- side eyed look at the gawping slaves around the estate.

As Master Yoda, and Galia stepped forward, that’s when the man realized just what was happening.

His face slackened, then became stony and serious, glaring at the Jedi and then at the princess and her guards.

Vicky, hanging back, could see the slaver’s jaw working, the wheels in his mind turning.

“We can nego-”

A single, deafening shot and a hole was blown through the man’s face, blood and brain matter bursting out the back of his skull as he fell back, dead instantly.

Reflexively Vicky drew her lightsaber lighting the blade and turning towards the soldier that had fired the deadly shot.

The Man straightened, his weapon pointing downwards.

“What the hell was that!?” She demanded.

The Princess turned, looking at Vicky over her shoulder with an imperious eyebrow. “An execution. A successful one.”

“That is not what we came here for!” It was Master Galia who spoke, and Vicky caught sight of Yoda’s grave, almost angry look as he, clutched at his walking stick.

The Princess shrugged carelessly. “We are not Jedi. Slavery has a clear punishment in our laws. Death.” She answered. “I was well within my rights.”

“And what of his co-conspirator?” Galia demanded. “We needed that information.”

“We will investigate.” she could hear this fucking bitch’s smirk.

“Oh bullshit!’ She hissed, turning to Galia and Yoda. “This is bullshit! This bitch is covering her own tracks!”

“My but that is an accusation.” The Princess drawled, her voice oozing smug certainty as Vicky grit her teeth. “Perhaps we should reconsider our cooperation with the Jedi if you’ll allow your Padawans to behave so… uncouthly.”

Vicky’s fist clenched so hard she felt her knuckles pop as she stalked closer to the princess as her guards stepped infront to shield the too smug cunt. “I’ll show you uncou-”

“Padawan Dallon!”

Vicky stopped, her jaw ached with how hard she was grinding her teeth.

She rounded on Master’s Galia and Yoda. “You have to know this is bullshit!”

“I assure you, my actions are all perfectly legal under Zygerrian law.”

Oh she was gonna enjoy punching this bitch! Couple of busted teeth would fuck up that smug smile real good!

“Padawan Dallon-” Adi Galia called again. “Please come here.”

Vicky could feel her shoulders shaking, pent up anger making her whole body vibrate before she disengaged her blade, reholstering it at her hip, then turning to stalk over towards Master Galia and Master Yoda.

Crossing her arms she forced herself to keep her eyes away from that smug bitch behind her, because if she saw that self satisfaction she just knew was there she was gonna give credence to those rumors about her skill at diplomacy a thousand times over.

Master Galia cleared her throat. “While it is true that you acted within your rights under Zygerrian law princess this is not why we came here, nor do we appreciate you acting without consulting us beforehand.

“Zygerria is a sovereign world of the Republic Master Jedi.” The Princess answered dismissively, “You are here as a courtesy; how we treat or sentence lawbreakers is not for you to decide.”

She turned her attention away from the conversation looking to the grim faced Yoda at her side.

“You can’t let them get away with this.” She hissed/whispered under her breath.

“Not much- can we do.” The small Grandmaster admitted. “True her statements are. Legal it was”

“She’s involved-” Vicky snarled. “She shut him up is what she did.”

Yoda didn’t answer.

—-----

The ride back to the palace was tense. The four soldiers in her speeder kept their hands on their weapons, and she kept her own fingers flicking idly at the Lightsaber she twirled in her hand as she glared at them.

Nah. She wasn’t asking them to give her an excuse. Why do you ask?

She wasn’t sure how Master Yoda or Galia fared in their own vessels; but she couldn’t picture it being much better.

The slaves were going to be rounded up, their collars removed, Master Galia had insisted the slaves be handed to the Jedi so they might be returned to their homes. Not saying she didn’t trust the Zygerrian princess; but very much not trusting the bitch.

Touching down Vicky damn near bulldozed through the halls towards their rooms. Maybe it was unseemly or whatever but she was furious and if any of those guards of the fucking Princess said one word-

She made it to their rooms, pacing the common area like a caged animal as she tried to rack her brain on what they could do, some way they could get the better of that too smug bitch who thought she got away with literal murder.

There had to be somethi-

The door hissed open.

She turned; Master Galia and Yoda marched into the room, looking almost downtrodden.

“What do we do?” She asked- demanded.

“There isn’t much we can do.” Master Galia rubbed at her forehead.

“Stop thinking about what we can’t do and start thinking exclusively on what we can do!” She bit out. “A complaint to the senate? A formal Inquiry? A Jedi task force staying on the planet for as long as that bitch is alive. Something.”

“Calm yourself Padawan-”

“I AM CALM!” Vicky snarled. “I am the picture of peace and mother f’ing harmony; now stop worrying about a non-existent problem and let's start figuring out what our next move is going to be!”

Master Galia sighed then turned her eyes towards Yoda. “Master?” If she was asking him to keep trying to calm Vicky down or his advice

“Hrm.” Yoda’s hands kneaded the head of his glimmer stick. “A thought perhaps… an idea Padawan Dallon has given me.”

“Awesome- what is it?” She asked, eager and hoping beyond hope the plan involved her fist meeting a princess’ smug face.

Yoda opened his mouth to speak, ready to explain when Master Galia’s Holo came alive with an incoming call.

(X)(X)(X)

The pieces are all moving into place and our players are on the very cusp of finally meeting eachother in the galaxy far far away.I'm gonna have fun real soon :3

As a reminder there is a discord channel to discuss the Patreon chapters herehttps://discord.gg/j4WnQgsX