While Padmè and the others were fulfilling their part of the plan in the one of a kind room and Scout was in the security office. Velea struggled in her approach to find the turbo lift that went to Collan Eislo's private suite. While she had been given the full version of the blue prints from the ship by Jaden, the corridor that it seemed to be in didn't exist. After a bit more searching she eventually found a panel that was hidden behind wall that opened up the corridor when she held her level 5 ID up to it.
Velea snorted when she found it. "Paranoid much?" She whispered to herself. "You and Jaden would've been good friends Eislo... at least if you weren't such a dick." She moved through the corridor slowly, glad that she had her stealth suit as the corridor was littered with cameras. She'd need to send a pulse that would knock them out for a few seconds. It was a little suspicious but she couldn't take the risk someone was watching her through the cameras when she went into the turbolift. Seeing the doors magically open was a lot worse than a camera glitch—at least she hoped.
Velea moved quickly over to the turbo lift before typing on her wrist terminal and sending the pulse. She then scanned her ID and moved into the turbolift before pressing the button for Eislos private suite and letting the door close. It took a second, but when the door closed Velea finally let out a breath she felt like she'd been holding for an eternity. The hardish part was over, now she just needed to splice into whatever terminal he had up there and comb through it for any relevant data.
'He probably has a state of the art system up there installed by some genius splicer... shame he didn't get me to install it, maybe then it would be unspliceable,' she thought to herself as a small smirk grew on her face. Once this mission was over and they had the damn Crystal they could finally leave—at least after Jadens trial. Velea couldn't wait, she was going to be travelling the stars, seeing new ones, seeing old ones, travelling completely unknown regions of space; and all that with the person she loved. It was a dream come true.
The turbolift doors opening snapped her out of her stupor, and the silly smile on her face morphed into a look of determination. If she wanted that future she needed to put the work in. Velea moved carefully out of the turbolift while activating a handheld scanner, they had very little information on his private suite; before they got the blueprints they essentially only knew it existed. The scanner would help identify any extra security methods that may be installed.
*BEEP*
Velea ducked down as she looked at the readings she was picking up. 'Who knew you were so tech savvy,' she thought to herself with a grin.
A multiphasic intrusion detection scanner equipped with high-intensity proton penetration arrays, capable of phase-shift analysis and deep-structure resolution across composite materials and biological signatures. That was quite the security system he had; no doubt that he was the only person keyed into it. The proton arrays would easily see through her cloaking device, so she couldn't just walk through.
"Shit... this might be a little difficult," she thought to herself, though the thought of the challenge did bring a small smile to her face. She moved back slowly and moved towards a door panel, taking out a plasma cutter she opened one of the panels and brought out a small terminal and connected it to the inside. Multiple screens started popping up on the terminal and Velea quickly started going through them until she managed to find the security algorithms. "Kriff..." she whispered. She then touched her earpiece. "Scout, come in," she spoke.
She waited for a few seconds but there was no reply. "Scout, come—"
"Im a little busy here Velea, can this wait?!" Scout whispered over comms. From what Velea could hear it seemed she was moving something heavy, though she had no idea what.
"It can't wait," Velea replied. "I'm outside Eislo's suite and I can't get in, the security is way more advanced rehab I thought, if I alter anything it might trigger an alarm."
There was a bit of a scuffle over comms, as well as a large clanging sound. "Scout? Is everything okay?" Velea asked, a look of concern and confusion etched onto her face.
A few seconds went by then there was a slight rustling over comms. "Sorry... yeah I'm fine, just a small issue, patch me into your terminal I'll take a look," she said.
"Copy that." Velea immediately went to work granting access to her terminal so Scout could help her with the issue.
Veleas terminal pinged as Scout patched into her feed, her eyes scanning the data streaming across the screen. "Wow," she said with awe in her voice. "This is some next-level security."
"I know, right?" Velea said with a grin, her fingers hovering over her terminal outside Eislo's suite. "Eislo's got a multiphasic scanner with proton arrays. It'll see right through my cloaking. Any ideas?"
Scout's fingers flew over her console, analyzing the system's structure. "It's tied to his biometrics," she said. "We can't fake that since we don't have his data, but... hang on. The arrays are tuned to organic signatures. If we tweak your suit's cloaking field to emulate a droid's electromagnetic output, it might read you as a maintenance bot."
Velea nodded. "Smart. Can you guide me through it?"
"Yeah," Scout said, pulling up the suit's schematics. "Reroute the cloaking module's power to the EM emitter. I'll send you the frequency. Give me a sec." She typed rapidly, cross-referencing droid signatures from the ship's database. "Got it. Adjust your suit's output to 3.7 gigahertz, low amplitude. That'll mimic a M-series droid."
Velea worked fast, her terminal displaying the changes. "Done," she said, checking her scanner. The proton arrays' hum didn't shift—her suit was registering as a droid. "You're a genius, Scout."
"Don't jinx it," Scout said with a laugh. "Go, before it resets."
Velea darted through the corridor, her suit's cloaking now pulsing with a droid-like field. She scanned her Level 5 pass at the suite's door, slipping inside as it hissed shut. The suite was a display of obscene wealth—gold-trimmed walls, a massive viewport and balcony showing Coruscant's skyline, plush rugs underfoot, and a crystal chandelier casting rainbows. A marble table held a decanter of Corellian brandy, its price likely enough to buy a starship. Velea snorted, shaking her head. "Compensating for something, Eislo?" she muttered.
She moved through the suite, her scanner active, searching for the terminal. The main room was a dead end—only furniture and art, no tech. A side chamber held a holo-sculpture, but no console. Frustration crept in as she checked another room, finding only a meditation alcove. Finally, a hidden door behind a tapestry caught her eye, its seams barely visible. She pressed her pass to it, and it slid open, revealing a large office with a glowing holo-terminal in the center, its screens dark but active.
"Found it," Velea said over comms, crossing to the terminal.
...
Collan stood in the One of a Kind room, mid-conversation with a senator, his tailored coat pristine, his smile perfect. The senator droned about trade routes, but Collan's attention split when his datapad, tucked inside his coat, beeped sharply. His smile didn't falter, but his eyes narrowed. "Excuse me a moment," he said politely, stepping away to a quiet corner. He pulled out the pad, his face darkening as he read—a security alert from his suite. A unregistered maintenance bot had entered his suite, suspicious but inconclusive.
He accessed the cameras, flipping through feeds of his suite's main room, corridors, and office. Nothing—no movement, no intruder. His jaw tightened, suspicion growing. Switching to a secondary camera in the office, he activated a K9 security droid stationed there, its red eyes flaring to life. "Scan for intruders," he typed, his expression murderous.
...
Velea plugged her slicing kit into the terminal, its cables snaking into the ports. "Scout, I'm at the terminal," she said over comms. "Help me crack it."
"Patching in," Scout said, her voice tense, the sound of typing filling the comm. "It's got a triple-layer encryption. I'm bypassing the first firewall—reroute the data stream through my terminal. Should speed this up."
Velea followed Scout's instructions, her screens lighting up as the encryption weakened. "Got it," she said, her fingers dancing over the controls. The terminal unlocked with a soft chime, and Velea's face lit up. "We're in!" she said with excitement in her voice. "Scout, you're amazing."
"Save the praise," Scout said. "Comb through it fast."
Velea dove into the files, her scanner beside her. Initial folders held dodgy business dealings—bribes to senators, off-world accounts, smuggling contracts. Useful, but not what they needed. She dug deeper, her grin fading as darker files surfaced, each one worse than the last.
Log 47: Ordered grain shipments halted to Ryloth's outer colonies. Starvation projected to force compliance within three months. Local resistance crushed.
Velea's stomach churned, her hands trembling. "He's starving worlds," she whispered, disgust in her voice.
Contract 19: Hired Black Sun pirates to raid Mon Cala supply lines. Payment: 2 million credits. Objective: Destabilize trade in sector 42
Her eyes widened, horror creeping in. "Pirates," she muttered, scrolling faster.
Transaction Record: 500 slaves purchased from Zygerrian markets. Deployed to Kessel mines. Losses acceptable.
Velea gagged, her hand covering her mouth. "Slaves... he's in the slave trade," she said, her voice shaking with revulsion.
Spice Distribution Network: Oversaw production on Nar Shaddaa. Distributed through Coruscant undercity. Profits laundered via shell corporations.
"Spice," she said with anger in her voice, her fists clenching. The deeper she went, the more monstrous Eislo's actions became, a web of cruelty spanning the galaxy. Then she found it—evidence of the attacks on Jaden and the Jedi Temple.
Operation Shadow: Paid 1.5 million credits to mercenaries for assault outside Jedi Temple. Target: Jaden Katarn. Secondary operation: Full-scale attack on Temple. Mercenary casualties: 82%. Republic response delayed.
But that wasn't the only thing she found. Numerous deals and bribes made with senators and judges and all manner of officials and politicians. All of it to make sure that Jaden was arrested; Eislo had spent millions, on making sure things went his way in the actual trial. Digging a little further she discovered he was behind the smearing campaign, that he was the reason everyone believed Jaden was a Sith Lord. He had spread that through bribed news outlets.
"Jaden never had a chance..." she whispered to herself. This was fixed from the start, but why? Why did Collan obsess over him so much? She didn't know, and right now she was too angry to care. "We got you, you son of a bitch," Velea said with both anger and excitement, downloading the files. But a strange file caught her eye: "Infinity." Curious, she opened it.
The file detailed a Jedi Holocron, but further reading revealed it was no ordinary relic. Holocron Analysis: Sith origin, corrupted by Darth Nihilus. Grandmaster Satele Shan infused her spirit to seal its secrets. Contains last known location of Nihilus' mask. Velea frowned, unfamiliar with Nihilus but still sensing danger. Eislo's notes speculated the mask held immense power, and his notes also detailed rituals—blood sacrifices, dark chants—suggested he aimed to gain Force sensitivity, perhaps to absorb Nihilus' strength. He's insane, she thought, her pulse racing.
Then she found another file within "Infinity," labeled "Fermata Cage." Eislo's notes chilled her.
Sith artifact. Requires Force sensitivity to activate. Developed bypass: ritual sacrifice of Force-sensitives. Three Jedi younglings acquired. Initial tests successful.
Velea's breath caught, horror etching her face. He's killing Jedi to power it.
Experiment Log: Fermata Cage in my possession. Final test: Sacrificed Padawan J. Kren. Cage activated, temporal distortion achieved.
She gasped, her hand shaking. "I have to warn Jaden," she said, reaching for her comm. Before she could speak, the office door exploded inward, a K9 security droid marching through, its red eyes locking onto her. "Intruder," it said in a cold, robotic voice, its metal arm raising a blaster.
Velea drew her pistol, firing, but the bolts sparked uselessly off its armor. The droid lunged, slamming its arm into her gun, sending it flying, then grabbed her head, smashing it into the console. Pain exploded, stars bursting in her vision as it threw her across the room, crashing into a holo-screen. She blacked out for a moment, luckily the stealth suit's padding softened the blow. Groaning, she pushed herself up, before diving as the droid's fist came down and dented the floor where she'd been.
She fumbled for her comm, but it was crushed, sparking uselessly. "Kriff," she muttered, sprinting for the corridor, dodging blaster fire from the droid's wrist. The turbolift corridor's door began sealing, a heavy blast panel descending. "No, no, no," she said with panic in her voice, reaching the door panel, ripping it open, and plugging in her terminal to splice it.
Heavy thumps echoed—the droid was closing in, its metal feet pounding the floor, the sound drawing closer. Velea's fingers shook, her terminal flickering as she bypassed the lock. The droid entered, its sensors scanning the area. "Target acquired," it said, its voice devoid of any empathy. Velea dove prone, rolling as it fired, bolts scorching the wall. She scrambled behind a luxurious sofa, her mind racing for a plan, her stealth suit was sparking—damaged from the impact of being thrown across the room.
She worked frantically to fix the cloaking, rerouting power and trying to fix the broken circuits, the droid's steps growing louder. "Surrender, organic," it said. "Resistance is inefficient." It grabbed the sofa, hurling it across the room, shattering a sculpture.
Velea's suit flickered back online just as the sofa flew, her form vanishing. The droid scanned, switching to infrared, then ultraviolet, finding nothing. Velea, cloaked, grabbed her vibroblade from her belt, stabbing its back, Jaden had given her this and promised that it would go through most non exotic metals—and it seemed he delivered. It spun, firing blindly. She struck again, then again, targeting weak points. She then grabbed a cable from a torn wall panel and lassoed it around its neck, she looped it to her vibroblade, aiming to short it out. "Adaptation complete," the droid said robotically, grabbing her arm. Velea screamed in pain as its mechanical arm crushed her wrist, she could feel her bones creak under the pressure—soon to give way.
It threw her across the room, her body slamming into a wall. She managed to quickly get up only for it to punch her, the blow dazing her, then it hurled her upward, denting the ceiling. She crashed to the floor, the stealth suit failing making her form visible. Crawling she cried out on pain as her ribs burned though she managed to reach the vibroblade. The droid loomed, behind her, raising its blaster. "Threat eliminated," it said. Velea spun, throwing the vibroblade into an open panel in the wall, electricity arcing through the capable. The droid convulsed, and she grabbed her backup blaster, jamming it under its neck, firing shot after shot. It collapsed, smoking, its lights fading. Velea stumbled to the wall, her breathing rough, ribs cracked, pain lancing with each gasp.
She was alive.
Velea stumbled out of Collan Eislo's suite, clutching her broken ribs with one hand, her backup blaster in the other. Pain shot through her chest with every step, her breathing ragged from the fight with the K9 droid, now a smoking wreck behind her. She reached the turbolift and slapped the button to take her to the One of a Kind room, where Jaden was. Before she could press it, the lift jolted and started moving on its own. She jammed the buttons, trying to override it, but nothing worked. "Kriffing hell!" she cursed, slamming her fist against the panel. Someone—or something—was taking her somewhere else.
The turbolift doors opened, revealing the ship's lower levels, a maze of dim corridors lined with pipes and humming machinery, far from main engineering but close to the engine core. Velea stepped out, her blaster raised, and tried to call the lift back, but its panel sparked and went dark, the system shut down. "Son of a—" she muttered, cutting herself off as a metallic clank echoed nearby. She froze, her heart pounding, and two K9 droids rounded a corner, their red eyes glowing, blasters raised. "Intruder detected," one said, its voice cold and mechanical.
Velea bolted, pain flaring in her ribs as she sprinted down a corridor, the droids' heavy steps thundering behind her. She ducked into a side passage, pipes hissing steam, and pressed herself against a wall, holding her breath. The droids' sensors whirred, their claws scraping the floor as they passed, missing her by inches. She waited, then slipped out, moving silently, her blaster trembling in her grip. Another droid appeared ahead, its back to her, scanning a junction. She crept past, but her boot grazed a loose panel, the clang echoing. The droid spun, firing a bolt that scorched the wall beside her head. Velea ran, weaving through corridors, the droid's shots sizzling past, one grazing her arm, pain searing but no blood drawn.
She dove behind a crate, her ribs screaming, and peered out. Three droids now, their red eyes sweeping, closing in. The air felt thick, the hum of the engine core oppressive, and shadows danced on the walls, making every corner a threat. A droid's claw scraped closer, and Velea scrambled into a narrow duct, crawling frantically, the metal cold against her hands. She emerged in another corridor, but a droid's sensor locked onto her, its blaster firing. She rolled, the bolt hitting a pipe, steam bursting out, and sprinted again, her lungs burning.
Just as a droid's claw reached for her, a hand grabbed Velea's arm and yanked her into a vent, the panel slamming shut. She gasped, pain shooting through her ribs, and turned to see a woman with short, dark hair and a scarred face, her eyes sharp. "Who the hell are you?" Velea asked, her blaster half-raised.
"Vaylin," the woman said, her voice low. "You're with Jaden, aren't you? I know Padmé, Anakin—same crew."
Velea lowered her weapon, relief flooding her. "Yeah, I'm Velea," she said. "You're an ally, then. How'd you end up down here?"
Vaylin glanced at the vent, listening for droids. "I saw people rummaging through Padmé's room," she said. "They chased me, and I fell down a maintenance chute. Woke up here. Been trying to get back ever since, but these droids have a kill-on-sight order."
"Kriff," Velea said, wincing as she shifted, her ribs throbbing. "I need to get upstairs. I have to warn Jaden. Collan's dangerous—way more than we thought. He's got plans, artifacts, things that could ruin everything."
Vaylin nodded. "You know a way out? Or any comms?" Velea asked.
"No way out," Vaylin said. "But I found a maintenance terminal yesterday. Workers used it to communicate. It might work."
"Perfect," Velea said, forcing herself up. "Let's go."
They crawled out of the vent, moving through the corridors, Velea's blaster ready, Vaylin's vibroblade in hand. A droid's steps echoed, and they ducked behind a generator, its hum masking their breaths. The droid passed, and they moved on, but another appeared, its sensors sweeping. Velea pulled Vaylin into an alcove, the droid's claw brushing the wall where they'd stood. They reached a junction, but two droids blocked their path, firing bolts. Velea and Vaylin ran, dodging shots, one hitting a pipe, steam blinding their pursuers. They turned a corner, but a third droid cut them off, its blaster raised. "Intruders," it said, firing.
Velea shoved Vaylin aside, the bolt missing them, and they sprinted to a small control room. Vaylin slammed the door shut, locking it, and dragged crates in front of it. "Hurry up!" she shouted, bracing the door as droids pounded on it, metal groaning.
Velea reached the maintenance terminal, its screen flickering, and plugged in her slicing kit. "Come on," she muttered, her fingers flying over the controls. She bypassed the primary encryption, accessing the ship's subsystems, but the comms array was locked, its protocols scrambled. "No comms," she said, cursing. She tried rerouting through auxiliary channels, but the system rejected her inputs, its firewalls too complex. The droids' pounding grew louder, the door buckling, and Vaylin strained to hold it.
Velea switched to the camera feeds, her eyes widening as she saw Jaden in the One of a Kind room, arguing with Collan, passengers shouting. "I can help him," she said, plugging her portable terminal into the system. She uploaded the evidence she'd stolen—Collan's files on starvation, piracy, slavery, and temple attacks—and patched it to the room's screen. The files played, and Velea smiled, thinking she'd turned the tide. Then she saw Collan draw a dagger and slit his father's throat, blood spraying as Roland fell.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Velea said, her hands shaking. Vaylin was pushed back as the door dented, but she rushed to brace it again. "Hurry up, they're almost in!" she shouted, her shoulder against the crates.
Velea scanned the terminal's options, her heart racing. She found an intercom link to the One of a Kind room. "Got it!" she said, hacking the access code, her kit bypassing the security in seconds.
She activated the intercom and shouted, "Jaden, stay away from him! He can st-
___________________________
(Just after Velea destroyed the K9)
Collan, stared at his datapad, his face twisted with fury. He'd controlled the K9 droid remotely, watching through its sensors, yet Velea had escaped. His terminal held everything—his plans, his crimes, his secrets. She'd seen too much. She had to die. He had sent her down to the bowels of the ship and soon she would be killed by the rest of the droids he had patrolling down there. A soft voice broke his focus—Padmé, approaching with Sabe and Aubrie. Collan forced a smile, slipping the pad into his coat, his facade sliding back into place. "Senator Amidala," he said smoothly bowing. "A pleasure."
"Mr Eislo," Padmè said with a similar head bow.
"Please call me Collan, despite our differences of late I do hope we may come out of it as friends," he said, the charming smile never leaving his face.
Padmè's smile strained slightly, but her years of being a politician shone through and she was able to maintain her facade and hide the distain she felt for the man before him. Though mixed in with that distain was also a little bit of fear... fear at what he's done, what he could do. Padmè would've struggled a lot more had she been alone, but the reassurance of having Aubrie and Sabe beside her did a lot in helping her maintain her mask. "Of course... Collan, there is no reason that such proceedings should have any effect on our private life," she said, her forced smile tightly in place.
Collan chuckled and touched her arm. "That truly brings joy to my heart, now why don't you introduce me to these lovely ladies beside you, I believe I've met your handmaiden before but you'll forgive me if I don't remember your name."
"I am Sabe, Lady Amidala's handmaiden," she said coolly, with the same practiced face that Padmè wore. She then offered him the same bow Padmè had, but if one looked closely you'd see it wasn't as low. As a handmaiden Sabe was an expert in subtly disrespecting her 'betters'.
"A pleasure," Collan said as his eyes gazed across her entire body, as if he were inspecting her. It almost made her shudder, but she managed to keep it under control.
Padmè, sensing her friends discomfort interjected. "This is Aubrie Wyn, a former Padawan of the temple and one of the War heroes from Jabiim," she said drawing Collans attention away.
Collan turned to face Aubrie, his smile just as bright as before. "Ah, always good to meet one of the warriors keeping the core worlds safe," he said as he reached his hand out to shake her hand. Aubrie didn't particularly want to, especially with all the trouble and danger that he had put Jaden through, but she also didn't want to bring any suspicion upon herself. She reached her hand forward and she took his and shook it.
The moment their hands touched the smile from Collans face melted away and his eyes seemed to go dead, it was as if an entirely different person was standing in front of her. Aubrie tried to remove her hand from his grasp but he tightened it and didn't let her go. She then tried a harder and yet his grasp wouldn't loosen. Though what was worse was the complete unfettered bloodlust and anger that poured off him in waves that only seemed to grow stronger, and all of it was directed to her.
"Collan!" Padmè snapped at him, which seemed to snap him out of whatever daze he was in. The light quickly returned to his eyes and he quickly let go of Aubries hand, though his gaze never left hers. While the anger had mostly disappeared—seemingly buried deep somewhere—he still let off small amounts of it.
"I apologise Miss Wyn, if you'll excuse me ladies," he said before turning away and moving through the crowd until he was out of sight.
"What the hell was that?!" Sabe whispered loudly to Padmè and Aubrie.
"I'm not sure, he seemed to have a problem with you Aubrie. You've never met him before have you?" Padmè said as she turned her gaze to Aubrie.
Aubrie shook her head. "I'm unsure why he seems to have a problem with me." Despite not knowing why, she could feel a warning echo through the force, yet she couldn't make sense of it.
"Padmè! We can't let him leave, Velea might still be in his suite," Sabe whispered in a panic.
Padmè's eyes widened as she realised the gravity of the situation. "Velea!" She whispered through the comms earpiece that Jaden had given her. "Velea come in!" She said again, but there was no response on the other side.
"Why is she not responding?!" Sabe said, panic creeping into her voice. "Could she have already been caught?!"
"Sabe, calm down," Padmè said grabbing both of her shoulders. "It'll look suspicious if we are all panicking in the middle of the room."
Sabe nodded and took a deep breath. "You're right, I apologise my Lady," she said.
"I'll try Scout, perhaps she will have more information," Padmè said to both her companions. She then switched frequencies and tried to get in contact with Scout. "Scout, are you there?" Padmè whispered through her Comms; both Aubrie and Sabe both aimed their bodies in front and behind Padmè to try and deflect any attention that she might bring using her earpiece.
"I'm here, is it time? Can I cut the power?" Scout said in an almost excited tone.
"No no no, Scout do not cut the power!" Padmè whispered loudly, there wasn't a reply for a moment, which made Padmè's heart drop as she expected the lights to suddenly cut out.
"Fine... what is it then?" Scout asked over the comms.
Padmè exhaled a breath that she felt like she'd been holding for minutes. "Have you had any contact with Velea?" She asked. "We weren't able to distract Collan for long, we need to warn her that he may be on his way back."
"Kriff..." Scout said through the comms. "The last contact I had with her she had just gotten into the terminal, I'm not sure why but the connection to her comms has been severed, either it's being jammed or it's broken."
"Either one does not sound good," Aubrie interjected.
"No... I can go and try and get to her myself?" Scout offered.
Padmè thought about it for a moment, as much as she would like to have some reassurance, she couldn't get Scout to go, she was integral to the plan. Zule would be left hanging dry if Scout wasn't there to get rid of any lingering security. "No, don't go, one of us will, just give us a path to Collans suite, hopefully we will make it there before him." Padmè said.
"Sending a route to your pad now," Scout replied.
"Thank you Scout," Padmè said before turning off her earpiece.
Padmè then turned to the others. "Aubrie, you'll get there the fastest, you should be the one to go."
Aubrie nodded. "Of course, I'll keep you informed on the situation," she said as she went to head out, though before she could there was a slight ruffling underneath her dress. Aubrie sighed as she looked down and then looked back to Padmè. "Would you mind looking after SD8, I believe he wants to stay here incase he is needed."
Padmè's eyebrows raised as she looked down at the droid that quickly crawled from underneath Aubries dress and moved beneath her own. "I suppose so..." she said.
"Thank you," Aubrie said, as she turned to leave.
"Be careful Aubrie," Padmè said, the younger woman smiled and gave her a nod before continuing to walk out of the room.
...
Meanwhile Jaden continued to play the part of the server, though honestly he was distracted. He had a bad feeling when he first entered the service corridors, and that feeling only continued to build and build until it was screaming at him. If there was ever a time he wished a Jedi Master was here it was now. He couldn't make sense of the danger he was feeling, it wasn't like the feeling he would get when he was about to be hit or attacked. No, it was like a soft foreboding that continued to build yet provided no details—and wouldn't until you were staring it in the face.
Jaden moved smoothly through the crowd, balancing trays of food and drinks, his eyes scanning the One of a Kind room. He should've been helping Zule with the Kyber Crystal swap, but the Force's warning consumed him, urging him to find the danger he knew was here. Guests tried to talk to him, their voices a blur, but he brushed them off, even shoving past when they blocked his path. The danger was growing louder, closer, a pulse in his chest he couldn't ignore.
"Watch where you're going!" a senator shouted, stumbling as Jaden pushed past, his tray nearly spilling. Murmurs rippled through the crowd, guests complaining about the serving staff's rudeness, their unprofessional behavior. At first, Jaden thought they meant him, but glancing across the atrium, he saw it—every server was acting off, just like in the kitchens. They bumped into guests, knocking over glasses, some arguing openly with senators, their voices raised, hands gesturing wildly. A waiter spilled wine on a diplomat's gown, ignoring her protests; another snapped at a general, pointing aggressively.
Jaden forced himself to calm down, letting the Force guide him as Satele had taught. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them, his gaze locking onto Collan Eislo storming away from Padmé, Sabe, and Aubrie, his face a mask of anger. Collan beelined for a massive man with a scar on his cheek, dressed in a server's uniform too tight for his frame. 'No way that guy's a waiter,' Jaden thought, his suspicion flaring. He watched Collan grab the man's arm, whispering fiercely. The man nodded, speaking into a comms device, his expression hard.
"Oh kriff," Jaden said to himself, the pieces snapping together.
None of the servers were servers—they were mercenaries, and Collan had just given the signal to attack.
Jaden's eyes darted around, catching every "server" freezing in unison, their trays clattering to the floor. "Shit!" he said, dropping his own tray and sprinting toward Padmé and Sabe, noticing Aubrie heading towards the exit, her gown vanishing through the crowd. He shoved guests aside, ignoring their shouts as they stumbled or fell, his heart pounding. But he was too late. The mercenaries moved, pulling blasters from under jackets, some firing into the air, others aiming at guests. Screams erupted, a wave of panic sweeping the room. Senators and diplomats scrambled for the exits, tripping over gowns, shoving each other in desperation. A merchant fell, trampled by the mob; a young aide clutched her arm, blood seeping from a blaster wound. Mercenaries laughed, clubbing guests with blaster butts, their boots stomping the fallen. One fired point-blank at an unimportant banker, his body crumpling, credits spilling from his coat. Another dragged a screaming noblewoman by her hair, tossing her into a glass case before kicking her numerous times.
Jaden ducked under a spray of blaster fire, his instincts kicking in. He reached the nearest mercenary, a wiry man aiming at a fleeing senator. Jaden grabbed the man's blaster arm, yanking him forward, and drove his knee into the mercenary's stomach. The man doubled over, sputtering, collapsing to the floor. Jaden pivoted, slamming him face-first into a display case, the glass cracking under the impact, a Sith dagger inside rattling.
The One of a Kind room had become a slaughterhouse. Guests screamed as they fled, their once-elegant gowns and tunics shredded, their faces contorted with panic. A senator scrambled beneath a table, but a mercenary seized her ankle, dragging her out and jamming a blaster against her temple. She froze, whimpering, her hands raised. A Rodian diplomat bolted for an exit, his robes flapping, but a crimson bolt pierced his spine, and he collapsed face-first, limbs twitching. Mercenaries moved through the chaos with predatory intent. Some fired blasters into the air, the bolts sizzling, while others aimed with chilling precision, targeting specific guests as if following a list. A chandelier exploded overhead, its crystals shattering and raining down, slicing skin and sparking fresh screams. Padmé crouched near the Kyber Crystal's display, shielding a trembling aide with her body, while Sabe scanned the room, her eyes darting for a clear path. Jaden locked eyes with them, gesturing toward a side exit, but a line of mercenaries blocked it, their blasters leveled at the crowd.
The killing spree halted abruptly when three lightsabers ignited with a resonant hum, their blue and green blades casting an eerie glow. Over half the mercenaries froze, their faces paling—lightsabers meant certain death to most. Anakin Skywalker and Zule leaped into a cluster of mercenaries, their movements a deadly dance. Anakin's blue blade arced high, catching a mercenary's wrist mid-aim. The hand fell to the floor, cauterized instantly, the man howling as he clutched the stump. Anakin pivoted, his saber slashing downward, severing another mercenary's leg at the thigh. The man toppled, his scream cut short as Anakin used the Force to hurl him into a display case, glass exploding. A blaster bolt streaked toward him, but he twisted his wrist, deflecting it back with his saber, the shot burning through the shooter's chest, dropping him in a heap. Anakin surged forward, his style ferocious, each strike powered by raw fury. He extended his free hand, using the Force to rip a mercenary's blaster from his grip, then drove his saber through the man's stomach, the blade sizzling as it exited his back.
Zule matched Anakin's aggression, her green saber flashing as she lunged at a mercenary aiming at a cowering guest. Her blade cleaved through his shoulder, the arm dropping, the man staggering back with a guttural cry. She blocked a volley of blaster bolts with her prosthetic arm, the metal sparking under the impacts, then angled her saber to redirect a shot into a mercenary's face, his body crumpling. Charging another, she swung her prosthetic fist, the force shattering his jaw, teeth flying as he crashed into a pillar. Zule reached out with the Force, lifting a heavy plinth topped with a Sith relic, and flung it at two mercenaries. The stone crushed their legs, pinning them as they wailed, and she finished them with a single sweep of her saber, slicing through their torsos, the halves falling apart.
Aubrie joined the fight, her blue saber igniting as she vaulted over a fallen noble. She landed beside a mercenary firing at a diplomat, her blade slashing across his chest, the armor splitting as he collapsed. A bolt flew toward her, but she spun, deflecting it back, the shot hitting the shooter's thigh, sending him sprawling. Aubrie extended her hand, using the Force to pull a mercenary's feet out from under him, then drove her saber through his chest as he fell, the blade piercing clean through. She dodged a swinging rifle butt, cartwheeling to the side, and slashed upward, severing the attacker's arm at the elbow, the limb dropping as he screamed. Her movements were fluid, her Padawan training evident, but the sheer number of enemies was relentless.
Despite their prowess, the mercenaries' numbers—hundreds strong—began to overwhelm them. A blaster bolt struck Zule in the chest, the impact throwing her backward, her armor scorched, pain radiating but no blood spilling. Aubrie took a bolt to the stomach, the blast knocking her to her knees, sparks flying from her tunic. Before they could recover, a mercenary clubbed Zule's spine with a rifle stock, sending her sprawling, and another hit Aubrie's head with a stun baton, her vision blurring as she collapsed. Anakin, his saber a whirlwind, saw them fall. Blasters aimed at their heads forced his hand—he dropped his saber, raising his arms in surrender to save them.
The mercenaries herded Anakin, Zule, Aubrie, and the surviving senators into a corner, blasters trained on them. Chancellor Palpatine stepped forward, his robes untouched, his expression stern. "What is the meaning of this outrage?" he demanded. "Who sent you? State your demands."
A mercenary sneered, slamming his blaster butt into Palpatine's stomach. "Shut your mouth, old man," he growled. Palpatine doubled over, gasping, but his eyes burned with defiance.
The leader, a towering man with a scarred cheek, strode forward. "Listen up," he bellowed. "We're taking a few of you today. Don't cause trouble, or you all die."
Jaden, who had melted into the crowd, moved silently, his server's tray long discarded. He'd held back, recognizing the futility of fighting a swarm, preserving his cover for a counterstrike. Slipping beside the injured Aubrie and Zule, hidden among the terrified guests, he knelt to check their wounds. Aubrie's stomach was charred, her breaths shallow; Zule was in a similar state. Jaden placed his hands on them, closing his eyes, channeling the Force. A warm light pulsed from his palms, knitting scorched tissue, easing their pain, their breathing evening out. He couldn't reach Anakin, he had been restrained as he remained uninjured and still presented a threat.
"What are we going to do?" Aubrie asked.
"I don't know," Jaden said, his voice strained. "I need to think."
"Think fast," Zule said grimly, nodding toward a mercenary shouting names.
"Aubrie Wyn! Padmé Amidala! Step forward!" the mercenary roared, listing others, his blaster raised.
Jaden's mind scrambled, trying to understand why Collan wanted Aubrie. Her connection to him? The Force's warning screamed, offering no clarity. The mercenaries grew furious as no one complied. "Show yourselves, or we shoot everyone!" one shouted, firing into the ceiling, sparks cascading. The crowd surged, guests shoving, screaming, some collapsing under the press, others cowering behind the exhibits.
Jaden counted the mercenaries—over a hundred remained, too many for a direct assault. He leaned to Aubrie and Zule. "Wait here for my signal," he said. Before they could question him, he slipped away, weaving through the panicked crowd.
He tapped his comm, reaching Scout. "Scout, you there?" he whispered, sidestepping a sobbing noble.
"What's going on?" Scout said, her voice panicked. "I saw it all on the cameras—"
"Calm down," Jaden said. "I need your help to take them out. Can you overload the floor panels in the room?"
Scout's typing echoed. "I can, but it'll only take out a few dozen—fifty, tops," she said.
Jaden cursed softly. "That'll do," he said. "Kill the lights too, on my signal."
He moved toward a display he'd noticed earlier—ancient Jedi lightsabers, their hilts in a glass case. He waited, watching the crowd. A woman screamed as a mercenary dragged her by the arm, her gown ripping. Jaden seized the moment, smashing the case with his vibroblade, glass shattering. He grabbed three sabers—blue, green, purple—and tested each was functional and powered. Pocketing them, he started back, but SD8 scuttled in front of him.
Jaden smiled, stroking its head. "Always here to help, aren't you, little buddy?" he said. The plan just got better.
He pushed through the crowd, just as Padmé was yanked forward, a mercenary gripping her arm. Sabe lunged to stop them, only to take a fist to the face, blood gushing from her nose. Anakin roared, thrashing against his bindings, his face a mask of fury.
"Shit," Jaden said, locking eyes with Aubrie and Zule, who still pretended to be injured. "Scout, now!" he said into his comm.
Jaden leaped forward and tossed the blue and purple lightsabers to Aubrie and Zule. They caught them and ignited the blades with a sharp snap-hiss. Jaden flipped over a mercenary and landed beside Anakin. His green saber flared to life as he slashed through Anakin's bindings in one smooth motion. At the same moment, floor panels exploded with electricity. Crackling arcs surged through fifty mercenaries. Their bodies jerked, armor smoked, and screams died as they collapsed in charred piles.
The lights went out, and the room plunged into darkness. "SD, battle mode!" Jaden shouted.
SD8 beeped loudly. Its metal plates shifted, and spider legs unfolded. Four wrist-mounted blasters extended. The droid skittered across the floor and fired bolts that punched through mercenary chests and thighs. Bodies dropped with each shot. Jaden charged a mercenary who aimed a blaster blindly. His green saber sliced through the man's wrist, and the hand fell. Jaden spun and swung upward, cutting another mercenary's leg at the knee. The man screamed and toppled. A bolt flew toward Jaden, but he twisted his saber and deflected it into the shooter's shoulder, knocking him down.
Aubrie jumped into a group of three mercenaries. Her blue saber slashed across one's chest, and he fell backward. She ducked a swinging rifle and pivoted, slicing another's arm off at the elbow. The limb hit the floor, and the man staggered. The third fired at her, but she blocked the bolt with her saber and sent it back into his stomach. He collapsed, clutching the wound. Aubrie moved to another mercenary, who swung a vibroblade. She parried with her saber, sparks flying, and kicked his chest, sending him crashing into a guest. She finished him with a quick slash through his neck, and he dropped.
Zule attacked a mercenary aiming at her. She swung her purple saber and cut through his torso. The body split apart and fell. Another charged her with a stun baton. Zule blocked his swing with her prosthetic arm, and punched his face with it, shattering his nose. Blood sprayed as he crumpled. A blaster bolt came at her, but she caught it on her arm, then deflected the next one with her lightsaber right into the shooters head. The mercenary fell dead. Zule grabbed a mercenary's arm, twisted it until it snapped, and thrust her saber into his chest, the blade exiting his back.
Anakin reached out his hand, and his blue saber flew to him from one of the pockets of the mercenaries igniting mid-air. He leaped over a fallen guest and slashed a mercenary's arm off. The man screamed, but Anakin drove his saber through another's chest, the body sliding to the ground. A mercenary fired at him, but Anakin deflected the bolts, one hitting the shooter's leg, another his neck, both dropping him instantly. Anakin used the Force to lift a mercenary into the air, then slammed him down to the ground. The man's body went limp and fell. Anakin moved to a group of two, dodged a grenade toss, and slashed both across the stomach, their bodies folding.
The mercenaries kept coming, but the team cut them down one by one. Jaden saw a mercenary grab a diplomat's arm. He sprinted and swung his saber, slicing the man's hand off. The diplomat fled as the mercenary screamed. Jaden blocked a bolt from another, redirecting it into the shooter's chest, and then kicked a third in the ribs, sending him into Zule's path. Zule finished him with a saber thrust through the shoulder, and he fell. Aubrie faced a mercenary with a flamethrower. She Force-pushed him back, the flames missing her, and threw her lightsaber which slashed his arm off, the weapon clattering. She caught her lightsaber as it came back to her and drove it into his leg, and he fell. Anakin fought three at once, deflecting their bolts with quick spins, sending shots into their arms and chests, then slashed one's torso, the others collapsing from wounds.
As the blaster fire slowly decreased and the sounds of fighting stopped, the lights flickered back on in the One of a Kind room, revealing the aftermath of the battle. Dead mercenaries littered the floor, their bodies twisted and charred from the overloaded panels. Guests huddled in corners, sobbing and clutching each other, while senators whispered in shock. Jaden scanned the room and confirmed every mercenary was down. His eyes landed on Collan Eislo, who stood among the guests, his face pale, pretending to be scared like the rest. Jaden's blood boiled, and he clenched his fists. He reached out with the Force, grabbing Collan and dragging him forward. Collan stumbled and fell to his knees in the center of the room.
"You monster!" Jaden shouted, his voice tinged with anger. He ripped off his server's disguise, revealing his face and identity, and the crowd gasped—not a single person in high society would not have recognised Jaden at this point. "You did this! You hired those mercenaries! You're responsible for all this death!"
Collan raised his hands, his expression one of shock. "I didn't do anything!" he said. "I'm innocent, Jaden! How could you accuse me of such things? I was here, terrified, like everyone else!"
The passengers stirred, their murmurs growing louder. "Let him go!" a noblewoman shouted. "You're attacking an innocent man!" a senator yelled. Others joined in, their voices a chorus of outrage, demanding Jaden release Collan. Roland Eislo, Collan's father, pushed through the crowd, his face red with fury. "How dare you accuse my son!" he bellowed. "You're a disgrace, slandering him like this!"
Chancellor Palpatine stepped forward, his expression stern. "Jaden," he said firmly. "Your actions here will not help your case. These accusations are reckless and dangerous."
Anakin moved beside Jaden, his lightsaber still in hand. "Jaden's right!" he said. "Collan's been behind everything! The attacks, the mercenaries, all of it!" Zule and Aubrie nodded, stepping closer. "We have proof," Zule said, her voice hard. "He's not what he seems."
The room erupted into arguments. Senators shouted at Jedi, guests defended Collan, and Roland berated Jaden, his voice shaking with rage. Collan stood silently, his eyes darting, but Jaden noticed his calm beneath the act. The chaos grew until a large screen on the wall flickered to life, its hum silencing the room. Every head turned, and the crowd fell quiet. The screen displayed files—Collan's files. Evidence of his crimes scrolled across it: deals to starve Ryloth's colonies, contracts with Black Sun pirates, slave purchases for Kessel mines, spice networks on Nar Shaddaa. Clips showed mercenaries attacking the Jedi Temple, with Collan's payments listed. The crowd gasped, and whispers spread. A senator covered her mouth, horrified. A nobleman shook his head, muttering in disbelief.
Roland's face twisted with anger, and he turned on his son. "What is this?" he shouted. "Collan, explain yourself!" Collan ignored him, his eyes narrowing, but Roland grabbed his arm. "Answer me!" he demanded, shaking him. "Did you do this?"
Jaden noticed movement near his feet. SD8 lay on the floor, its blue-and-black frame sparking, a gash in its side from the battle. Jaden knelt beside the droid, his heart sinking. "You okay, little buddy?" he asked softly. He opened SD8's chest panel to fix the damage, his fingers working quickly. To reach the power cell, he pulled out the Holocron, its faint glow catching the light.
Collan's eyes locked onto the Holocron, and his heart pounded faster. Roland continued shouting, berating him, but Collan's focus never wavered. His hands trembled, and his breathing quickened. Finally, he snapped. "Fuck this," he said, his voice venomous. He drew a hidden dagger and slashed Roland's throat in one swift motion. Blood sprayed, and Roland gurgled, clutching his neck as he collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.
The crowd screamed, and guests recoiled, some tripping over bodies in their panic. "I wanted to do this clean!" Collan shouted. "I wanted to do it quietly, but you animals pushed me too far!" He spun, facing the crowd, his dagger dripping. "Why should I care about my status? Why should I care what you think of me? Me!" He threw his head back, his laugh echoing. "I will be a god!"
Jaden felt the Force scream, a piercing alarm that shook his bones. He ignited his green lightsaber, its hum filling the air. Anakin's blue saber flared beside him, and Zule and Aubrie ignited theirs, purple and blue blades glowing. The crowd backed away, their faces pale, but Collan laughed louder, completely unfazed. "I'm done playing games!" Collan shouted, his laughter unhinged, as Jaden, Anakin, Zule, and Aubrie rushed him.
*Bzzzzzt*
Suddenly the speakers flared to life in the atrium. "Jaden! Stay away from him!" Velea's voice screamed through the room's speakers.
"He has an artifact that lets him stop—"
(AN: Pretty cruel to leave it there, but I do like myself a reference, and this is a pretty fitting one if you've watched a certain anime. Anyway next chapter is gonna be the final one for this mini arc. Prepare yourself for Padmè to die, though idk if she will. Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows. I do. Probably not. Anyway cya.)
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