Chapter XXX – A Disturbance in the Force – Part II
“It’s late into the night, Miss Jade,” Reynard
smoothly said as he led Sakoya into his study. He
motioned her toward a chair as he strode over to the
beautifully carved wooden libation bar on the far
side of the room. He poured a dark liquid into a
clear glass and then walked back and sat down in the
chair opposite Sakoya.
His
dark eyes fixated on her as he took a sip of his
beverage but he remained silent, as if he were
waiting for her to say something.
The
alcoholic aroma tickled Sakoya’s nose enticingly and
she recognized the drink as Cassandran Brandy,
one of the finest in the galaxy and exorbitant in
price. She’d had the pleasure of imbibing it long
ago and its sensational taste never left her memory.
“You have exceptional taste in liqueurs,” she
sincerely complimented.
He
stared at her without answering, silently wondering
if his actions would cause her discomfort.
Sakoya treated his behavior as if she were being
tested and played along. She graciously glanced at
him, letting him know he had her attention, and then
slowly let her eyes wander around the study. A
distinct wood, seemingly glowing of its own accord,
covered the walls on all sides and the ceiling. As
she gazed upward, she marveled at the way the
lighting was embedded into the ceiling, intricately
weaving through the natural sheen of the reflective
wood. “Truly remarkable,” she extolled at the beauty
of the room.
“Yes, it serves its purpose,” he replied.
Sakoya slowly drew her gaze back to the man opposite
her and said, “This room is much different than I
would have expected.”
Reynard didn’t reply, he only looked at her
quizzically.
“When I stepped into the kitchen it was cold, devoid
of life, no warmth at all. From what I’ve heard
about your reputation as being emotionless and
bitter, the kitchen wasn’t far from it.”
“You
are…partially correct,” he slowly admitted, taking a
sip of his brandy. “My assistant created this room
for me. I had no part of it.”
Sakoya felt compelled to change the subject. The way
he stared at her actually made her uncomfortable. “I
didn’t mean to intrude upon you.”
Never in a rush to respond, Reynard watched his
guest with interest. “Why are you wandering around
and especially at this late hour?”
“I
had a…dream,” she replied, as if reluctant to do so.
“I couldn’t sleep and decided to take a walk.”
Reynard paused yet again, although longer this time
before saying, “And managed to avoid my sentries.
Either you wanted to evade detection or they are lax
in their duties.” His eyes suddenly darkened at the
spoken thought.
Sakoya gave him a wry smile. “Or perhaps it’s
because I’m well trained,” she said with just a
touch of arrogance.
“Yes…” Reynard took another sip of his drink. “The
Emperor’s Hand. Oh, don’t look offended, that’s
hardly a secret anymore. I obtain information of
relevance that others may or may not give credence
to.”
Sakoya looked at him with interest, hoping Mara
would have done the same.
Reynard carefully set his drink on the desk in front
of them and then leaned back into the comfortable
chair and clasped his hands loosely together.
“Although I find your company entertaining, I must
warn you – unescorted ventures unless previously
authorized by myself are prohibited. You may be my
guest but that invitation has its limitations.”
Sakoya decided to take a chance and be rather bold,
feeling Mara would follow this course of action
herself. “I am a free spirit, Mr. Sindre. Wallowing
away within the confines of my room is neither my
intention nor desire. If I am to be subjected to
such treatment then perhaps I should take my leave
of your graces and allow your other guests to vie
for your toxin.”
Reynard remained impassive and stared at the woman
across from him. Her flame colored hair and jade
eyes that matched her name gained his attention.
Finally, he offered, “Perhaps I can provide an
exploration that will satisfy you.”
“Thank you,” Sakoya said with a slow nod of her
head, not wanting to be overly gracious.
Picking up his brandy, Reynard took a drink and
said, “I will escort you back to your suite.”
The
duo arrived at the door to Sakoya’s suite and
Reynard was about to bid her goodnight when he
asked, “Do you find your chambers acceptable?”
“Yes, I do,” she replied, slightly confused.
“Then enjoy it and I won’t have to post a sentry at
the door should you decide to venture out again in
the middle of the night.”
Sakoya gave him a half-smile and went inside.
Reynard refused to leave until she had entered and
the door was secured from within. Deep in thought,
he turned and walked away.
Inside her suite, Sakoya walked over to the bed and
sat down. She was already reaching out to her nephew
in the Force when Xar’ek walked in, rubbing the
sleep from his eyes.
“What’s up, Red?” he inquired.
Ignoring him for the moment, Sakoya relayed her
mental message. *Luke, I was discovered in trying
to get to you. Are you and Cela alright?*
*At
the moment,* Luke responded through the Force. *You
were caught? Are you alright?*
*Yes,
I’m fine. Be aware, Reynard has security everywhere.*
*I’ve
discovered that but we’re safe – for the moment. I
found a pool of water and I’m cleaning Cela’s wound.*
*Thank
the Force! If you’re able, I would go back to your
ship and get her to the nearest medical facility.*
*I
agree. I wish I could help.*
*You
already have, Luke.*
*There’s
one more thing, Sakoya. The Clawdite in Kuryn was
murdered.*
Sakoya visibly frowned, which made Xar’ek look at
her oddly. He could discern that she was meditating
or doing whatever else Jedi do when their eyes are
closed but beyond that, he had no idea. He didn’t
want to disturb her so he carefully sat down next to
her on the bed and waited.
*Unfortunately,
I have an idea who could have done that. I will
inform Obi-Wan when I am able. May the Force be with
you both.*
*And
with you,* Luke replied.
Sakoya opened her eyes only to find Xar’ek staring
at her. “What?” she asked somewhat perturbed.
“What’s going on?” he accusingly asked.
Sakoya stood up and walked a few feet away, keeping
her back to Xar’ek. “Luke and Cela are here…” She
paused and then continued, “Cela is badly hurt. I
went to try and help them but Reynard caught me.”
“What?” Xar’ek nearly shouted and jumped up from the
bed. “What were you thinking?” he angrily demanded.
Sakoya spun around and glared at the man. “Saving a
young girl’s life! Something you’re not familiar
with!” she icily shot back.
Xar’ek’s brow knitted together in frustration.
“That’s not fair, Red.”
“Don’t preach to me about what’s fair, Xar’ek! And
stop calling me that!”
Xar’ek recognized the fire in her eyes and the
passion in her voice and knew he wouldn’t have been
able to stop her. He continued, but fought to
maintain calm in his voice, “I can’t keep
apologizing about the past. I’ve already done that
and I can’t change what happened.”
Sakoya turned away, placed her hands on her hips and
took deep breaths to calm herself. After a few
minutes she said, “I had to try and help, Xar’ek.
Surely, you can understand that.”
The
Corellian walked up behind her and put his hands on
her shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “I
do understand…but the risk…”
“Is
one I had to take,” she answered. “Now please remove
your hands.”
Reluctantly, he did as she asked and let his arms
fall to his sides. “What’s next?”
Sakoya turned her head to the side and then slowly
the rest of her body followed until she was facing
Xar’ek. “Reynard has offered to give me a tour.”
“What about me?”
“I
need you to find Zula and ask him about a murder.”
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Merging into the Force, Obi-Wan quickly dispatched
the armed guards who had burst into the lab. They
hadn’t expected to confront a conscious being, let
alone a lethal opponent. But it was the constant
whirling of his lightsaber, fending off each laser
blast with precision that made them pause. It would
be their fatal mistake.
While remnants of the white mist remained, most of
it had dissipated and Obi-Wan’s only dilemma now was
the unconscious Senator on the floor. Well, and his
now ill-fitting clothes – the sleeves of his tunic
had ripped apart at the shoulders during the battle.
“At least now it’s a little more comfortable,” the
Jedi admitted as his hand raked through his hair.
Kneeling down, Obi-Wan lifted his friend’s body over
his shoulder, stood up and walked back over to the
archive. “If you were conscious, my friend, we could
search farther into the compound. As it is, my only
hope is to get back into this tunnel.”
__________________________________*****__________________________________
When
his guards didn’t report in, Vuron became perturbed
and tried to raise them via comlink. When that
failed, he dispatched another group of guards to the
lab and soon had the answer he was looking for,
although not the one he expected.
“Sir, everyone is dead. We conducted a search and
found no intruder,” reported one Clawdite through
the comlink.
Surprised and enraged, Vuron gruffly ordered,
“Search the entire area outside the lab. I’ll
initiate lockdown.”
The
Clawdite’s hands flew over the security control
panel, sealing off the area where his men were
conducting their search. Once he finished, he went
to press another button and hesitated. He knew
punishment awaited him and he not only dreaded it,
but feared it at the same time. Without even
thinking, Vuron raised his hand to his throat and
touched the necklace of his servitude before
viciously yanking it away. He couldn’t stop his hand
from trembling as he pressed the button.
“Yes?” a voice answered.
“Sir, my apologies for disturbing you at this late
hour, but we have an intruder. I have initiated a
lockdown in the area and a search is underway at
this moment.”
The
voice didn’t answer immediately, which didn’t
assuage the Clawdite’s nervousness. The tense
silence was finally broken as the voice replied,
“You have done well. Capture but don’t kill. Place
whoever it is in the secure holding cell in the main
lab.”
Vuron allowed himself to breathe easier, which was
regrettably cut short as his Master continued, “And
Vuron, report to me personally after you have
accomplished this task.”
“Yes, sir,” the Clawdite replied, relieved that the
conversation was audio only as he broke out into a
sweat.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Luke
carefully removed the large chunk of rock from
Cela’s side and tossed it out-of-the-way. Quickly,
he took the piece of fabric he’d ripped from his
Jedi robe, now soaked from the water, and packed it
into her wound.
“Luke?” she
weakly said.
Surprised, Luke cradled her tighter. “Ssshhh, don’t
speak.” He tilted her upper torso up as much as he
dared and scooped some water into his hand. “Try to
drink this. It’ll help.”
Cela
tried to lean toward his offered hand, her body
shaking uncontrollably, while Luke simultaneously
brought his hand closer yet to her mouth. She took a
few tiny sips and then her full weight slipped back
onto his arm once more.
“I
need you to listen to me, Cela. I’m going to get you
out of here, but I need your help. You need to hang
on and not give up. I’ll get you to a med facility
and everything will be fine. Do you understand?”
A
weak nod of her head was all she was able to relay
but it was enough for the Jedi. Luke brushed her
hair back with his free hand and hoped he wouldn’t
be too late.
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