Chapter XXVIII – Ord
Mantell – Part I
Obi-Wan and Bail were quietly engaged in
conversation when Zula approached.
“Excuse me,”
he said, barely audible, “we’ll be coming out of
hyperspace soon.”
“Thank you, Zula,” Bail said as he extended his
hand. “You’ve been a tremendous help.”
The
Clawdite paused and then shook the Senator’s hand.
“Yes, but at what expense?”
“You
are doing the right thing, Zula,” Obi-Wan
earnestly replied.
“Am
I?” The Clawdite looked up into the eyes of the two
men across from him. “My Master is a good man…” In
spite of the boast, his voice remained soft spoken.
“He was a good man…long ago.”
“You
care very much for him, don’t you?” Obi-Wan asked.
“He
saved my life, Master Jedi. I’ve taken care of him
and watched over him these many years.”
“He
must be stopped. You know this,” Bail added.
Zula
nodded his head and quickly changed the subject.
“Once we land I will disengage the security net we
discussed. After that, you will be on your own. I
can do no more.”
“We
understand,” Bail affirmed.
Wordlessly, Zula turned and left, his head hanging
low.
Obi-Wan knew what his friend was thinking and told
him, “We can trust him, Bail. His guilt weighs upon
him, but he won’t deceive us. He has made his
decision.”
“May
the Force be with him,” Bail added, sounding more
melancholy than he meant to.
Obi-Wan smiled. “And with us.”
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Sakoya sat on the bed next to Mara holding her
daughter’s hand when she heard the door chime. With
a slight tilt of her head, she slowly turned toward
the sound. “Enter,” she called out.
The
metal door slid to one side and Xar’ek stepped
through. “Better?”
Sakoya nodded and grinned. “Yes, much. Thank you.”
The
Corellian walked forward and knelt down next to the
bed. “I didn’t feel like being hurled into a wall
again.”
“That was for a different reason,” Sakoya sharply
replied, her gaze fixed on her friend.
Xar’ek decided to forego continuing that
conversation and changed the subject. “How is she?”
Sakoya could sense Xar’ek’s tenseness and wondered
if she should have gone with her husband and Bail
after all. No, we needed another ship, she
silently told herself. Breaking her reverie, she
replied, “There’s been no change. The fluids are
maintaining her but we need to get that antidote as
soon as we can.”
“I
came to tell you that we’ll be out of hyperspace
soon.”
“I
hope Zula gets that security net deactivated,”
Sakoya remarked, taking a deep breath.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Approx 1330
“Time to change our appearance,” Bail commented,
casting a sideways glance at the Jedi Master.
“Indeed,” Obi-Wan replied, rising from his seat.
“I’m glad we had the forethought to purchase
disguises before leaving Kuryn.”
“A
prolific countermeasure,” Bail concurred,
“especially for you, Master Jedi.”
The
Senator changed into a deep blue, long tunic made
from velvoid and matching pants. The fabric,
although intended for formal engagements, gave Bail
the ability to move with ease as he assumed he would
need such comfort, but he also needed to conform to
a certain style to fool anyone he might encounter.
He was pulling on his knee length, black boots and
had to suppress a chuckle as his friend struggled
with his unJedi-like clothing.
There was no mistaking the jocularity emitting from
Bail as Obi-Wan continued to exert himself with his
new clothes. Unfortunately, his arms clashed
miserably with the tunic he was trying to put on.
“This isn’t easy,” he rebuffed. “It’s too small.”
“I’m
sorry, Obi-Wan,” Bail replied, snickering, “but we
didn’t have time to find a proper tailor.”
Obi-Wan groaned loudly, which only made the Senator
break into a fit of laughter. At last, the Jedi’s
head poked through the top of the mid-length, beige
tunic, his hair sticking out in every conceivable
direction.
Bail
Organa couldn’t stop laughing.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath and smirked. He had
nothing to say and just ran his fingers through his
hair, hoping to resemble some sort of normalcy.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
After shooing Xar’ek out of the room, Sakoya began
to transform herself into the persona she would be
emulating. Back in Kuryn, Zula had given all of them
brief descriptions of the few invitees that Reynard
had never personally met, therefore all they had to
do was adopt a character and play it.
It
was a challenge Sakoya couldn’t refuse.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Located in the Mid Rim Territory, Ord Mantell is
considered more of a free port for ships of all
types and characters of questionable reputation. Its
temperate climate and natural wonders attract
tourists across the galaxy who marvel at the shades
of pink from the planet’s cloud cover.
Cavernous rock and near barren highlands make up
much of this planet’s surface and located in the
heart of it is a paranoid scientist, whose heart
beats with malignancy and tremors of ice course
through his veins.
“Let the dregs of the universe have their slough of
brethren and their foul ways. I’ve no need of such
abominable creatures…with the exception of
occasional circumstances.”
Countless times Reynard had uttered that phrase to
Zula and the sneer upon Reynard’s face intensified
with each telling. He thought of those miscreants
now as he moved about his lab. How he had used them
as test subjects for his creations without any
thought or care about their survival. His face
displayed his indifference to their suffering as he
walked toward one of the secure holding cells –
transparisteel reinforced with electrical impulses
that would shock anyone within if too much pressure
were directed against the walls. Inside was a
middle-aged woman, although judging by her features
and gray hair she appeared much older. She sat
huddled in a corner of the cell, shaking
involuntarily with her arms coiled around her tucked
legs. Her once vibrant brown eyes were now dull and
overtaken by fear. Tears streamed down her cheeks,
her clothing was dirty and tattered but Reynard only
stared, indifferent to her suffering. He glanced at
the chrono on his wrist and then slowly turned his
gaze back to the woman.
“Consider the fact that I’m doing you a favor. Your
pitiful existence will come to a peaceful
conclusion.”
The
woman’s eyes opened wider as she understood what
this man implied. “NO!! Please, noooooo!” she
screamed, but she may have just as well shouted to
the air for what good it would do.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
“You
are now locked on by tractor beam. Identify,” a
technician in the control center demanded.
“This is AOD-66. Transmitting security code,” Zula
replied.
“Receiving,” the technician confirmed.
Bail
and Obi-Wan sat in the seats behind the cockpit and
silently waited.
Before long the familiar whine from the transceiver
could be heard and the technician gruffly said,
“Welcome, Zula. Initiating security sensor
deactivation. Land in the designated area.”
“Confirmed. Zula out.”
The
Clawdite closed the channel, input the coordinates,
set the autopilot, and then turned toward his
guests. “Once I leave the ship you won’t have to
wait long before you disembark. The area is tightly
controlled and very few have access to it. Master
Reynard doesn’t allow anyone into his private dock
unless it’s technicians to service something. There
are security cameras throughout the cavern and I can
only disable them for a moment. You’ll have to get
clear of the cavern quickly and then you’ll be
inside the compound.”
“And
the remaining security,” Obi-Wan asked.
“Rest assured, you will be clear, as I promised,”
Zula replied with a small smile.
Senator Organa held out his hand. “Thank you, Zula.
For all your help.”
Zula
hesitated and then slowly offered his withered hand.
“Th-thank you. I am unaccustomed to such decorum.”
As if embarrassed, he withdrew his hand and turned
back toward the cockpit.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Sakoya had garnered ideas from her unconscious
daughter as to her ‘costume’ for this mission and
even her husband wasn’t privy to what she would be
wearing. She snickered to herself at the reaction
she would receive when Obi-Wan saw her but
considered the fact that change was a good thing.
Using some hair gel Xar’ek had in the fresher,
Sakoya wet her hair and then slicked all of it back
with the gel. She applied more make-up on her eyes,
making them appear not only darker and more
mysterious, but almost cat-like, and then applied a
burgundy colored lipstick, something she never cared
for wearing. Next, she took out the outfit she had
brought on board, courtesy of a small shop in the
entertainment district of Kuryn. Holding it up, she
examined the garment and smiled puckishly.
“I
can’t believe I’m going to wear something like
this,” she scoffed.
Sakoya removed her Jedi clothing and set it aside.
“Here goes,” she commented, taking a deep breath.
Made
from sensua, similar to leather, and the color of
ebony, Sakoya slipped easily into the pants that
hugged her lower body like her own skin. She bent
her legs and moved around, amazed at how comfortable
the material felt. There was no binding or
restrictions, nor did it feel suffocating, which had
made her apprehensive. If she hadn’t known better,
she would have thought she had nothing on at all.
“Ok,
let’s see if the top fits the same.”
Sakoya placed her arms through the sleeveless
cropped top and then gathered the sensua material
around her. The neckline dissolved into a ‘V’ that
displayed her alluring cleavage, the result of which
made her groan. “That’s all Xar’ek needs – more
enticements,” she muttered. She fastened the front
by the small clasps sewn into the material and just
as the pants molded to her body, so did the top. She
was surprised that she could breathe normally,
because she had been skeptical.
The
calf-length boots came next, crafted from a sturdier
form of the same material. Sakoya slipped them on
and stood up, testing their fit. “Hmm, not bad,” she
said aloud. She walked around, getting used to the
feel of the boots while scrutinizing the rest of her
attire at the same time. It was then that she
realized something.
“There’s no place to put my lightsaber…” She walked
back over to the hanger where the last piece of her
outfit hung – a belt made of the same supple, ebony
sensua, and put it on. “I suppose I could attach it
somehow onto this belt.” Out of the corner of her
eye, she espied a wardrobe and quickly walked over
to it and flung open the doors.
“He
has to have something in here I can use,” she mused
and began digging through the mess of clothing.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Zula
landed the ship and cut the engines, their familiar
whine settling in his ears. Restless, he rose from
his seat and walked past his guests, readying
himself to leave the ship.
With
his back to the Senator and Jedi Master he suddenly
said, “Good luck.” Before they could reply, Zula
opened the hatch and began to walk down the ramp
that was still extending toward the ground.
“Ready?” Obi-Wan asked, glancing at his counterpart.
The
determination on the Senator’s eyes spoke for him.
Obi-Wan reached into the Force and connected himself
to his surroundings. The ship, the cavern, Zula’s
retreating form, everything he could grasp he tapped
into so they could time their movements just right.
From
his particular vantage, Obi-Wan felt Zula’s sorrow
and instantly felt sorry for the Clawdite. The
indescribable pain Zula suffered was powerful yet
carefully contained. Had it not been for his Jedi
abilities, Obi-Wan wouldn’t have known how deeply
the Clawdite had been affected over the course of
time and the result nearly brought him to tears.
Bail
glanced over at his friend and found himself
suddenly concerned. “Are you alright?”
The
Jedi Master slowly moved his head from side to side.
“Yes,” he said breathlessly. “Yes, I’m fine. Let’s
go.”
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