Fandom Star Wars: Demesne [Closed]

[cleopat]

Skye gently bit her lip, but nodded. Their situation was changing fast, and it seemed they would have to be ready for anything new to develop at any moment.

Please be careful, Ae’lia.

Amilyn didn’t give her anything new, just what Skye had already been told. “Kinda vague,” she mumbled, but then she shrugged. “But I’ve worked with less details before.” Both as a Jedi, and the years after.

And she survived them all.

At least she knew a little something about the Ghost crew, thanks to Adlai’s research into them. They themselves were a group of competent fighters, which meant getting off Lothal should hopefully be no issue.

~~

Cora smiled as her words seemed to help Eli feel a little better about their mission. Of course, neither one could know what the outcome of the mission will be, but she could hope for the best, and that the Inquisitor will be able to take care of the two Jedis while they dealt with the rest.

At Eli’s question, Thrawn put his datapad away and took a few slow steps closer to him. By this point, Tobias and Ortell looked noticeably more awake, the caf finally hitting their systems, and just in time, as Corellia lingered before them.

“The Santhe hangar,” Thrawn responded. “They are anticipating my arrival.” They had the Mantis ship, but that did his crew no good if they didn’t know where the rebels were.

But hopefully it did mean that the rebels would have more trouble trying to get off the planet.

~~

Lin easily accepted Eira’s answer for her prior visits to Corellia. Perhaps not as the actress she was now, he figured, but what she was before. He wouldn’t ask for clarification.

She knew the way, and that was all that mattered in the moment.

He waited for her, watching as she paused for a moment. Lin didn’t question her in whatever it was she was doing. Something with the Force? That was most likely, as she continued walking, instructing him to follow.

“Do you know where they are?” he asked, as his eyes looked around at the people they passed. Many understandably stared at them, some with frightened expressions. While Inquisitors may had been less known to the general population, the uniform of the Purge Trooper was similar to that of a Stormtrooper. They knew who these two belonged to.

Except they didn’t, not really. But no one would question a trooper with a blaster rifle in his hands.

 

[Lucyfer]

Amilyn offered only a smile, “Sometimes it has to be,” too much planning for an unknown situation was likely only to cause more problems than it would help. After all, once plans were derailed, it was hard to get back on track.

Amilyn took them to a hangar lower in Coruscant, “There’s your ship! Everything is already prepared inside of it,” she said, as she opened the ramp of this shuttle to let them out, “I’m sure it’ll be okay,” she added, more for Skye than for Adlai. “Everyone says the Ghost crew is good. With extra hands, I’m sure it’ll work out.”

And it brought all the Rebel groups closer together. Working together.

It was a huge step towards cohesion and unity.

That would mean a huge step towards taking down the Empire, by bringing so many disjointed forces together.

“Thank you,” Adlai said, “we’ll see you soon.”

Amily nodded, “May the Force be with you both,” she said to them, a sign indeed that the farewell had spread into the Rebel Alliance.

~***~

“Right,” Eli nodded. He didn’t really know where the Santhe hangar was, but he figured it wouldn’t be that difficult. Once he got within hailing distance of Corellia, he did reach out to them. It didn’t take long for an answer. “This is Commander Vanto of the Chimaera, here with Grand Admiral Thrawn. We need clearance and directions to the Santhe hangar.”

“Grand Admiral Thrawn, Commander Vanto, thank you. Directions have been forwarded to you,” which, indeed, a ping indicated that they had been. Eli was quick to bring those up, and set the ship to a bit of an autopilot to follow them. “The Inquisitor has already arrived.”

Eli winced, thinking that meant they were meeting them.

“But has left the hangar.”

Eli didn’t hide his reaction of relief, even if that was not the news Thrawn wanted to hear. ‘It’s going to be a long day….’ The Inquisitor was already sounding like they lived up to their reputation.

~***~

“Not exactly,” Eira answered, “The Force does not work quite that efficiently, but it can point me in their direction,” and as she got closer, it became easier to narrow down precisely where they were. No doubt, they would soon catch wind of her arrival, if they weren’t already aware.

Doors and windows were quick to shutter closed, but Eira paid it little mind.

And then she saw a flicker of green light which drew her attention away from those houses and their windows for a split second – but long enough for chaos to open up, as a blaster shot came from one of the windows, and that green light followed, seeming to twist more into a flaming ball of energy than a light.

Well, they were warned that the Mantis crew had no idea anyone was coming.

Eira wouldn’t reach for her lightsabers, not needing the golden light seen by Stormtroopers. She deflected the green energy so it wouldn’t hit Lin, and ducked under the shot, but took note of its direction. ‘Cere.’ She could see her, and using a blaster.

“Over there.” Eira jabbed her finger in the direction of Cere for Lin.

She’d have to hope he could find a way to get in close. If Cere was using a blaster, that might mean he stood a chance.

In either case, she’d be prepared to cover his back and follow – assuming she could figure out where the green light came from, and Cal didn’t end up a threat, or the Captain of the Mantis who’s name slipped her mind. Just as the name of the witch.

 

[cleopat]

Skye smiled warmly at Amilyn. Her attempted words of comfort were appreciated. “Thank you,” she said with a grateful nod. “And may the Force be with you.” Even if Amilyn wasn’t going anywhere, she still had her own stuff to do on Coruscant, which may include the two Organas they saw going to the Gatalentean Embassy.

She stepped off the shuttle and onto their ship for Lothal. Without hesitation, she headed for the cockpit to get the ship started, as there was no more time to waste.

The lives of the Ghost crew could very well depend on their haste.

The ship departed the hangar, and once it departed from Coruscant, Skye entered the coordinates for Lothal and entered the ship into lightspeed. “Alright,” she said, standing up and moving from the cockpit, “what kind of disguises are we dealing with?”

~~

As they were expected, they had little trouble gaining permission and directions to land in the Santhe hangar. And, apparently, their Inquisitor had already arrived. Thrawn was pleased to hear this, but also a little surprised. He figured they would have arrived soon after Thrawn and his officers did.

No matter, at least they were already off on their mission. He wanted to speak with the Inquisitor, but it would have to wait. “Very well,” he responded coolly.

Cora, and the two ensigns, were just as pleased as Eli that the Inquisitor wouldn’t be in the hangar with them when they arrived. Cora hid her relief better, but not quite the ensigns. Thrawn noticed, but he would say nothing.

He kept his crimson gaze on the viewport, watching as Eli piloted them to the Santhe hangar. When they landed, Thrawn was the first to step off the ship. A Trooper came up to them with a salute. “Grand Admiral, welcome to Corellia.”

Thrawn slightly nodded his head in a returned greeting. “We need to borrow a speeder,” he inquired.

“Oh, yes, of course, right this way, sir,” the Trooper replied, rather nervously, and led them to a vacant speeder to borrow.

~~

Lin did not know how the Force worked at all, so all he could do was nod and believe Eira’s explanation. As long as it led them towards the crew and not on a long chase, he was happy.

But he should have anticipated the blaster shot aimed directly at them. And the ball of green energy. That did not make him happy.

“Shit,” he hissed under his breath, ducking for cover.

Eira pointed at something, and Lin looked in that direction, immediately understanding why. He could see Cere, holding a blaster aimed for them. Maybe we should have let them know we were coming.

With a deep breath, Lin moved to get closer, dodging another blaster shot. He was half tempted to drop his blaster rifle and take out the electrobaton, simply to see if he could defend himself that way from the shots and balls of green energy.

“How are we supposed to convince them we’re here to help them, before they manage to kill us?” he asked Eira, as he managed to close in on the building they were hiding in.

 

[Lucyfer]

Adlai let Skye take the wheel, so to speak, as he went to go locate their disguises. Thankfully, that didn’t take long, as they were laying out in one of the spare rooms. One black outfit Adlai had never seen in person, and really, hoped to never see in person, along with a standard white Stormtrooper outfit.

Based on sizes, it was easy to determine which belonged with who.

He turned back to the cockpit as he felt the ship starting to increase speed immediately. He met Skye halfway, and gestured her to follow him along back to the room, “There is one Stormtrooper uniform, which I will be modeling on Lothal, and there is one Purgetrooper uniform ,which you will be modeling.”

He gestured out to both as they reached the back room, “I’m sorry but you’re just a bit too short to be a Stormtrooper. Size, apparently, isn’t much of an issue for the Purgetroopers.”

~***~

There was only one other ship besides the Mantis in the hangar. It was easy to guess that was the Inquisitor’s ship, although it hardly resembled something Eli would have expected. It honestly looked like junk. He didn’t make that comment, of course, as he followed Thrawn out of the ship and into the hangar, to where the Troopers were.

Based on the feel, he’d guess it wasn’t that long ago that the Inquisitor passed through. The nervousness was unusual.

Or maybe he was just too used to the environment of the Chimaera. Maybe being nervous around Thrawn was normal.

Either way, they were taken to a spare speeder, “Are we going after the Inquisitor?” Eli asked, though he doubted he really needed to.

He wondered how pissed off an Inquisitor would be if they interrupted the hunt….

As if the universe hated him, the Stormtrooper offered, “We think she went to Teeno. That’s where the Jedi was last seen….” He imagined the Trooper wanted to advise against it, but who was he to advise a Grand Admiral?

~***~

‘We have to get close enough, and I can prove it.’ Eira wanted to say, but of course, she didn’t. She followed after Lin, keeping her attention split between the green energy and the blaster shots, deflecting them with the Force when she needed to, but otherwise, not turning aggressive, or trying to target them.

She knew, that already, was probably sending up warning signs in the minds of Cere and this witch.

A witch who finally made herself known as they got too close to Cere – manifesting in front of Lin as if put together by thousands of green lights, the twin energy held in both her hands. She made a lunge for Lin, but Eira was quick to throw her back into the house.

“Handle that,” was all she offered to Lin before she jumped to the window ledge that Cere had been firing out of.

Cere was quick to back up, but Eira felt the lack of the Force in that moment. No Jedi trick, no Force for speed, just human instincts. She did, at least, pull a lightsaber towards her, and Eira couldn’t help but recognize it was an inquisitor’s blade.

The two red sides illuminated as Eira was able to stand within the house, and she pulled her saber into her own hands – and lit up her own two.

The sight of the color gave Cere pause, and Eira spoke quickly, reverting back to her normal, albeit modulated, voice. “I’m not your enemy – I’m here to help.”

“Take off the helmet.” Cere ordered. She wanted to see the proof herself in the eyes.

Eira didn’t hesitate, as Cere shouted down, “Merrin! Hold!” she set both lightsabers down, letting them lose their light, before she would take off her helmet, revealing not sith eyes, but blue.


Merrin had just gotten back to her feet and was intending to rush the stranger, so she could get back inside to help Cere. It was strange, to her, that an Inquisitor would care at all to defend a Purge Trooper, but she didn’t think much on it, until Cere shouted down. She looked upwards, but held, glaring daggers at the purge trooper in front of her.

 

[cleopat]

Skye followed Adlai to the backroom, when she frowned at the disguises they would be donning. Of course, she knew they had to be Imperial uniforms, but a Purge Trooper? One hand reached out to finger the edges of the outfit, a frown pulling on her lips.

She hoped she never had to be on the other end of a Purge Trooper.

“Well this is lovely,” she said sardonically, pulling her hand away from the fabric. Then, the weapons caught her eye: two electrobatons and a blaster rifle. She picked up the batons and gently twirled them in her hands. “We can keep the weapons, right?” she asked.

Sure, they were no lightsaber, but Skye could still have fun with them in close range combat. The batons stilled in her hands, and she activated one of them, grinning at the surge of purple electricity that crackled, before turning it back off. “And it matches. I’m keeping these.”

~~

The Inquisitor’s ship did not escape Thrawn’s notice either. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. They use better ships than that. Something did not sit right with Thrawn about their Inquisitor, but he wouldn’t say anything of it right then. He couldn’t. Not without actually seeing this Inquisitor.

Before Thrawn could answer Eli, the Stormtrooper spoke and told him where the Inquisitor headed to. “Good,” he said calmly, and he set to board the speeder, relaying the information to his stormtroopers that had followed behind them. Set up a parameter around Teeno Village District.

He would let the Inquisitor deal with their Jedi friends, but he suspected they would need the extra help for the other rebels.

“We will be headed after the Inquisitor,” Thrawn finally answered Eli, once they had boarded the speeder. “But we will not get in their way. Our main goal is to ensure the other rebels don’t escape.”

It seemed easy enough, but even Cora started feeling the slight nerves of what was coming. You can do this, you can do this, she repeated, as the speeder set off for Teeno.

~~

Lin didn’t expect a woman to manifest in front of him in a display of green lights. He cursed and jumped back when he saw her, and Eira was quick to jump in and make her disappear. Somehow. What the hell was that. "Thanks," he called out weakly, even though Eira was already gone.

A witch. He’d never encounter a witch before. So now they were dealing with two Jedis and a witch who thought they were the enemy? Just need to make sure Eira gets to them safely.

He breathed easier when he saw Eira jump through the window, but now he was alone with the scary woman, who looked like she was ready to kill him. She didn’t have a chance to, as Cere yelled down for her to hold, and Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

As the woman stilled, still glaring, he took the chance to try and reassure the witch of their intentions. “We’re not the enemy,” Lin spoke, voice still heavily modulated through the helmet.

Slowly, he lowered the blaster rifle to the ground and held up two hands as he straightened. “We’re here to help.”



Back in the room, a Latero man slowly came out from behind a door, a blaster gun held firmly in two of his hands, but not pointed at Eira. “Who are you?” he demanded. Greez made sure the door behind him stayed closed enough so that no one could see the two individuals inside who were about to make their run before Eira’s grand entrance.

 

[Lucyfer]

Adlai knew Skye wouldn’t be pleased with the uniform. The entire reason for a Purgetrooper was to purge Jedi. That wasn’t a comfortable situation, or a thought, given what she was. He wasn’t thrilled about a Stormtrooper uniform, but he understood the necessity of it.

As Skye understood this – and was quick to turn her attention to the weaponry.

Adlai chuckled at that, “Yes, I’m sure that you’ll be allowed to keep the weapons,” he allowed, before flinching at the surge of electricity. He was very content to stick with the Stormtrooper uniform right now. “I’m going to go ahead and get dressed,” he said, walking by her and to the white uniform.

He hoped he didn’t end up dying of heatstroke in this thing.

~***~

Eli had a feeling that simply being around an Inquisitor was getting in their way, but he wouldn’t say that. He bit the inside of his cheek against saying that. How much patience did an Inquisitor have? Would the Inquisitor kill them for the first slight? Certainly they would at least make it to three slights, right?

Eli had no idea, only that he still wished he wasn’t learning this through first-hand experience. So he just got into the Speeder, to await his fate. He did take a seat near a window, though, to try and look out and take note of anything on the way to Teeno.

Not there was all that much to take note of, besides their own shuttles of Stormtroopers flying ahead of them to make quick progress of locking up the Teeno District.

If it were anything but a Jedi, Eli knew he’d think this was sufficient, that this was a good strategy. As it was, he wasn’t so certain. “Can’t a Jedi just…talk their way past a Stormtrooper?” He had some brief training in the mind trick, but so far as Eli knew, regular Stormtroopers didn’t receive that.

Purgetroopers, yeah.

Not Stormtroopers. ‘Why don’t we have Purgetroopers here?’ Even if both their name, and their look, made Eli feel as uncomfortable as the Inquisitors.

~***~

There was the captain. All that was missing was the other Jedi, which somehow Ae’lia did not find all that surprising. “My name is Ae’lia Kore,” she answered, “a former Jedi, but not an Inquisitor.”

“I remember you,” not that they had crossed paths, but Cere knew, “you left after you led the successful attack on Diado.” Many had speculated about that, Cere’s master being one of them.

“Is that what they call it?” Successful? It still haunted her. Ae’lia shook her head, “Nevermind that. A real inquisitor is on their way, and Grand Admiral Thrawn. I’m here to help you get off this planet before any of you are caught.”

Cere exchanged a brief look back to Greez, before saying, “We need to get our ship.”

“I know,” she had figured as much, or else they’d be gone already.

Cere nodded, “Merrin, it’s okay – it’s an old friend.” One she trusted, perhaps too quickly, but her eyes were normal, and she didn’t radiate dark energy. Not like Trilla or Vader. Not like so many others they’d met, living this life. “Those sabers aren’t very convincing for an Inquisitor, you know,” Cere joked.

“I’d be happy to trade them temporarily for yours.”

She saw the way Cere clutched it, as if it were something dear, before her grip relaxed. “Only temporary,” she said, and held it out. “I’ve grown rather fond of it.”

Ae’lia hadn’t quite expected it, but nonetheless she set her helmet down, and picked her sabers, to exchange as Cere shut off the blades of her inquisitor’s saber.

“Greez, would you call Cal?” Cere didn’t know how far he had gotten, still keeping her own distance in the Force.



Merrin had watched the strange actions of the Purgetrooper, and wondered if all of his little friends ran off, or if he’d soon be reported to the Empire. She did not see any Stormtroopers stick around after she began to toss her magic.

She did not trust him.

As she cocked her head up, however, to hear Cere, she reconsidered. Though she still did not give him much of a friendly look. In either case, she turned towards the door, “Come,” she said, as she swiftly opened the door and marched back into the house that ha sheltered them. The occupants, thankfully, were gone.

 

[cleopat]

Skye grinned, pleased that she would be able to keep the weapons. But, with the flinch that did not go unnoticed by her, she would be sure not to turn them on so close to Adlai. Or at least give him warning.

“I guess I should go ahead and get changed as well.” She put the electrobatons down and turned her focus back on the red and black paratrooper armor, ominous in design. Maybe they could have a ceremonial burning of the Imperial uniforms when they returned from the mission.

Skye grabbed the uniform and said, “I’ll get changed in the refresher.” While she would have just stayed in the room, she wasn’t sure if Adlai would have minded or not. So she grabbed the uniform and went to the refresher, and it took her no time to change into the Purge Trooper outfit, every armor and buckle in place.

Once the uniform was on, Skye walked back out into the room as she looked down at the outfit on her, inspecting it for some unknown error. “How does it look?”

~~

Eli’s nerves were still obvious to Cora, and she had wanted to reach a hand out to comfort him, like she did on the ship. But she wouldn’t, not there. The Grand Admiral was too close, and they needed to be prepared for the mission.

But she wondered, exactly how prepared were they for the mission? Eli had brought up a great question about the Jedi mind trick.

“That is always the possibility,” Thrawn admitted coolly. “Which is why I’m relying on the Inquisitor more than I care to admit.” And hopefully, if they were smart enough, they brought Purge Troopers with them, to aid in the Jedis’ capture.

His Stormtroopers secured the area well enough. All Thrawn could do was hope that they would stop the rebels before they made their escape. He had the TIEs ready, if they did, and he was fully prepared to call for them.

The speeder slowed to a stop, and Thrawn led the team off. Crimson eyes scanned the surroundings as a light frown tugged at his lips. If the Inquisitor had already found them, he was certain there would be a trail of damage that they could follow. “This way,” he commanded, motioning them forward.

~~

Cere knew the woman, and while Greez wouldn’t completely let his guard down, he allowed his muscles to relax and blaster held loosely in his hands. This woman could be their ticket off the planet, if she truly was trustworthy.

The exchange of the saber had come at a bit of a surprise for him, and he almost missed Cere’s request. Oh yes. Cal with their precious cargo. “Of course,” he nodded before pulling out his comlink. He had expected that Cal may have started climbing out of the window in the room Greez had come out of. He shouldn’t have gotten far.

“Cal, you can come back. The Inquisitor and the Purge Trooper are not who they seem. They are allies here to help us escape.”

There was a pause, before a voice on the other end of the comlink asked, “Are you sure?”

Greez paused a second, looking between Cere and Ae’lia. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Alright, I’ll be back soon.”



The witch still scared him a little, with her penetrating glare, that when she called for him to follow, Lin almost squeaked out a ‘yes ma’am,’ but he had managed to bite back the reaction. Instead, he took hold of his blaster rifle and followed her into the house.

Inside, Lin could see that Eira took her helmet off and...traded her sabers? That confused him. He reached one hand up and removed the helmet. “We’re all good now, right? No more attacking?”

Just then, the door Greez had come out from behind opened slightly, and a young man with a mop of orange hair stepped out. He was holding a bundle in his arms, covered and secured by a blanket tied around his neck. “Okay, so what’s going on here?”

 

[Lucyfer]

Adlai was used to complicated outfits and armor, but it still took him a bit of time to get into the Stormtrooper uniform. There were plenty of unnecessary buckles. Thankfully, this still wasn’t the first time. He knew where to expect the buckles as he strapped himself in, thankfully mostly done as Skye came out.

He gave the outfit a once over, nose wrinkling at her question.

No, she probably wasn’t asking for an assessment of her beauty right then, just wanted to know if the outfit seemed right. “I find it offensive, so I think it’s on all right,” he said, “I’m not seeing anything that looks immediately off or like an exploitable weak point.”

Adlai definitely hated these things.

He’d hated outfits like this since the Clone War, though. Purgetroopers weren’t around then, but he had a lot of built up hatred for clone armor that was easy to pass onto hatred of all outfits resembling it, even a little.

He finished with the last buckle of his own and sighed, “I can’t wait to take a hot shower,” and wash all of this off.

~***~

Assuming the Inquisitor could stop the Jedi, and prevent their escape, that was a good tactic – but it relied too much on assumptions of a player that they didn’t know. Eli wouldn’t say that, of course, but his frown suggested how much faith he had in this idea of Thrawn’s. In any of this, really, but as the came into the Teeno District, he did stay alert.

No sign of the Inquisitor.

No sign of the Jedi.

Eli followed Thrawn out, glancing around, looking for anything as they started to walk. The silence was heavy enough, suggesting something, but he didn’t see it.

Except….

“Grand Admiral,” he spoke up, “Look to your left – there’s some wall damage, and I think blaster scouring on the ground,” he thought there was some on the walls, as well as a damage he couldn’t understand – unbeknownst to him, cast by the green energy that had come from the Force. He only knew it wasn’t blaster fire, or any sort of explosive, although it seemed to still burn the walls somehow, without breaking through them.

Thankfully for Eira and Lin’s sake, the windows to where they were, were already closed…and that fit in with most other places which had locked up tightly.

~***~

Ae’lia took the saber and twirled it, without the blades, in her hand a moment. This was definitely not her style. This blade was made for offensive attacks, only. Guarding was detrimental in the design, the hilt easy to cleave in two if there was an opening. Not her style, but she thought she could make it work, if she needed to.

It added credentials to her presence.

And it made sure she and Cere would cross paths. ‘Your lightsaber is your life.’

Lin came in, and started to lift his helmet, “Lin, please—” Ae’lia was going to explain that she was going to put her helmet back on – they could be spotted through windows, which, also, needed closed.

“Wait, you’re Lin Kiles?” Cere was half-surprised with herself that he recognized him. She didn’t know his body of work, but she saw him on enough ads.

And that’s when another thing dawned, “And you’re—”

“Sht!” Ae’lia hissed, shutting the windows with the Force in an instant. “Yes.” Before Cere could complete that statement. “Don’t you dare say it.”

“Okay, okay,” Cere held her hands up, understanding. Somehow, Ae’lia had hidden herself…by hiding in an entirely new identity. “I understand. I do,” she added, glancing to Cal who had also tried to hide in another identity, an unknown. “Cal, Merrin, this is Ae’lia Kore, a former Jedi Counsellor. She’s going to help us get off planet.”

“How did you know we were here?” Merrin asked, suspicious as ever. She spared Lin a glance, but popular media still eluded her. She did not know him, or what Cere was about to say of this Ae’lia, either.

“I have eyes and ears in the Empire, I run a rebel cell on Coruscant,” Ae’lia answered quickly, “We have friends going to help Caleb Dune on Lothal, as well.”

Cere’s brows lifted. “Depa’s…,” she knew him, more personally. Depa had been a dear friend of her own master. “I see,” she nodded. “I’m glad to hear he’s alive.”

“Yes – but we don’t have time for chatter,” her gaze fell on the strange bundle that Cal held, “What brought you here?” The answer was there, and she could feel the power of it through the Force. A someone – a child? So powerful in the Force?

It seemed unheard of…except she’d known Anakin. That one would not be able to hide from a real inquisitor.

 

[cleopat]

Skye scoffed. “Yeah, it is pretty offensive, isn’t it?” She glanced down, giving the armor a once over as Adlai assessed it. It would be fine, even if she wanted to rip it off and throw it into a fire somewhere.

“A hot shower does sound nice, doesn’t it?” Already she felt so dirty, as no doubt Adlai did with his Stormtrooper uniform. “A long, steamy hot shower.” And it would be a great way to get the grime off when they get back.

They didn’t need to focus on that right then. They had to focus on finishing their preparations for Lothal.

Skye walked over to the bed and grabbed her weapons, placing the electrobatons in their designating holsters, and loosely holding the rifle in her hand and her helmet in the other. “Hey, maybe we can take that shower together.” She sent him a wink before she would head back to the front of the ship.

~~

Eli was the first to point out something, and Thrawn looked over to the damage on the wall. “Indeed, I think you are correct.” He walked closer, eyes narrowing as he took in all the little details at the site. There were indeed blaster marks on the wall and on the ground, but there was also something less identifiable.

He had read up on this Mantis crew before. They had a Nightsister with them. She must have caused this damage.

If there was a skirmish, then that meant the Inquisitor and the Purge Trooper found them...but where were they? No other building had any damage like this, and he could take an easy guess and surmise they were inside.

Thrawn looked over at Ortell and Tobias. “Ensigns, scan the building for any other possible exits.” They nodded and quickly headed down one side of the building. He turned back to Eli and Cora. "I'm not sure if our Inquisitor is inside, but remain on your guard." His hand rested on his blaster as they approached the door.

~~

Lin didn’t catch Ae’lia’s request before his helmet came off, and once he did, he was recognized instantly by the older woman, and some recognition even dawned on Cal’s face. It both surprised him and served a little as an ego boost.

Not that he would ever tell Eira that.

Except she wasn’t introduced to the others as Eira, but rather as Ae’lia Kore. Her old Jedi name? Lin shot her a glance, but he left the question unspoken for now. Right then was not the time to question her about names.

Cal relaxed more, less hesitant, as Ae’lia explained what was going on. There was no darkness coming from her. Not like in true Inquisitors.

And there were others as well, another Jedi they were helping.

Ae’lia directed a question at him, inquiring about what he had. Cal hesitated as he glanced down at the bundle. “A very special child that we need to keep far away from the Empire,” would be the only answer he would give. Right then, his head snapped up. “And we should leave now. I believe the Empire is right outside that door.”

Greez readied his blaster, and Lin swiftly put his helmet back on.

 

[Lucyfer]

“I think that may be the only way we’re certain we wash off all of this,” Adlai agreed, “it’s so hard to see what’s on the back,” of course he obviously wanted to shower with Skye for other reasons, as he followed her back to the cockpit, also electing to carry his Stormtrooper helmet.

His blaster remained at his side.

He really wished he was the one with a melee weapon, though he knew Skye was likely more effective with it than he was. Or he might be able to borrow the baton later, if she had to use her lightsaber. ‘You don’t want that.’ He reminded himself.

That was the worst case scenario.

That would show too much to the Empire.

‘Though it would be nice for them to know there are still a lot of Jedi.’ A good way to send a message, for so many to show up all at once, across the galaxy.

Maybe something for later, as he took his seat in the co-pilot’s chair. “I really hope they’re able to recognize us so we don’t get shot.”

~***~

Eli nodded, hand also moving to his blaster, even if he doubted its effectivity in the moment. They could hear voices muffled by the walls of the house, but before they so much as opened the door, there was a crashing sound above.

Eli looked up just in time to see a woman break through the window, and wall, of the upper floor – but she was hardly disoriented.

She rolled with it, ending up crouching as another in black garb landed far more delicately than the first. The first lit a pair of lightsabers, confirming in Eli’s mind that they were at least one of the Jedi – and managed to block the Inquisitor’s attack despite being thrown from a building.

He didn’t want to get in the way of the Inquisitor – and he knew he’d heard other voices. ‘There’s still one Jedi!’ He reminded himself, before he backed from the door so he was able to look up and try to see what was going on above, and see if he could aide with a well-place blaster shot to some rebel who hopefully didn’t have the Force to throw it back, or something.

He didn’t think actual exits, or actual doors, were going to matter much anymore.

~***~

As Ae’lia suspected, then – something they could not allow the Empire to get its hands on. She nodded, and took the words of warning from Cal as the group began to prepare.

Obviously, she and Lin could not appear to be talking with them. Her eyes met Cere, that knowledge of what had to be done known immediately to both of them.

A distraction.

Something only they would manage to pull off.

Ae’lia put the helmet back on as she recognized the presence in the Force that drew closer, mouthing an apology before her lips were covered, and she shifted back into the persona of First Sister.

“You will hand that over to me, immediately.”

“Over my dead body!” Cere snapped at Ae’lia.

Ae’lia canted her head, “Well, if you insist.”

And Cere was thrown through the window that Ae’lia had earlier jumped in from, a distraction for those approaching the building, as she had to hope Lin would resume his role, and the others would, too – and scatter.

Ae’lia followed Cere immediately, landing lightly on her feet as Cere rolled back and ignited both of her blades, blocking the overhead strike as Ae’lia lit the red saber fearlessly in the open to bring it down on Cere, disregarding Thrawn and the others for the moment.


Merrin, uncertain how to react, started towards the now-busted wall, thinking she ought to follow and help Cere – or should she stay with Cal?

She tossed an uncertain look back over her shoulder, panic at her uncertainty reflecting, because to say anything about what was being done risked exposure of their supposed allies.

 

[cleopat]

“And you have such a lovely back. We can’t have any of this left behind on it.” If only they could fast forward through the mission and to the time they were finally going to be able to spend alone without worry of any mission or important meeting.

Very soon.

Skye took her seat back in the pilot’s chair. “That is a little issue, isn’t it?” They would have to be careful of how to show the Ghost crew that they were the help, while not alerting everyone else who they were. “If only there was some pre-established code phrase, or something, that could help us.”

They would just have to try and get close enough to them without getting killed, so they could say they were the rebels sent to rescue them. But knowing the little she did about the Ghost crew, Skye knew they may just be a little trigger happy.

~~

Thrawn quickly glanced up at the loud crashing sound, taking a step back as debris fell from the window the two figures jumped out of. Their Inquisitor and a Jedi, one he recognized from his research as Cere Jundas.

Cora jumped back as the two women landed, but her mind was quick to go back to the mission. There were others, and they were most likely still inside. She looked up at the window, and heard voices and a shot of a blaster rifle before it was quiet.

They weren’t dead. They were running. Did they kill the Purge Trooper? Regardless, she had doubts that they would stay in the building for very much longer.

And Thrawn had similar thoughts. The front door wouldn’t be used, that would be foolish. “Vanto, Suvan, look for any other ways they could escape.” The ensigns may need their help if they do encounter the rest of the insurgents, with the remaining Jedi.

Cora nodded and didn’t dare to hesitate before she set off around the building, blaster ready in her hand.

Thrawn backed away from the fight, but a gut instinct told him to keep close. He still had his questions for the Inquisitor, and if she didn’t succeed in taking down the Jedi, he would have to step in.

~~

Cal had been startled at first at the unexpected attack, but realization donned on his face. He whispered to them, “It’s a distraction. We need to leave while we still have a chance. There’s a back entrance we can sneak out of.”

The window was now open, and the Imperials could see them, and possibly hear them. Lin knew he had to act similar to what Ae’lia just did. “I rather like her idea. Die rebel scum.” He fired two shots into the floor to make his role more believable, before he quickly waved a hand to urge them to start running.

They only had so much time, and Lin didn’t know what sort of backup the Grand Admiral would bring.

Cal and Greez were quick to move, headed for another exit, while Lin ‘chased’ after them.

“There may be a few of those guys waiting for us,” Cal warned. Nothing they couldn’t handle, surely, but they needed to be prepared.

“Just some officers? That shouldn’t be an issue,” Greez scoffed.

“If that’s the case, then trust me when we get outside,” Lin urged. He may try and play up a scene, like Cere and Ae’lia, and he needed to ensure that they all still knew he was on their side. Merrin seemed like she still had her doubts.

 

[Lucyfer]

“I don’t think anyone’s ever complimented my back before,” Adlai was a touch bemused by it, wondering if he actually did have a nice back. He never saw it. And it was usually covered by capes, meaning most people also didn’t get any idea of it whatsoever. Maybe he did have a nice back.

“Yeah, that would have helped,” Adlai sighed, “They do know my identity, or so Shay’s said,” so that meant if he could get his helmet off and introduce himself, it would be fine, “although I think shouting ‘I’m Count Malvern’ might not be the best idea,” just in case he was overheard. “They know you, too.”

As Skye, at least.

“But I think they’re more familiar with me from reputation.” His image was easy to find. Hers, not so much. He wouldn’t put it by Shay to have already gotten several pictures of Skye to use, but still.

~***~

Cere was instantly familiar with the style of combat that Ae’lia presented to her – style two. Not a style any Jedi really wanted to be against, given it was the de facto dueling style. Not an Inquisitor style by any means, but it was terribly efficient, even as Ae’lia just kept one side of the saber lit, against two blades.

Cere wasn’t exactly good with two blades, but she had them – she had to act like it.

But she didn’t even use her dual-bladed lightsaber often.

She was outclassed and she knew it, but she didn’t know Ae’lia’s plan. They hardly had time to discuss it, and now they had an audience. They had to put distance between their audience, at least, and Cere had an idea for that.

She released one saber to pull the blaster into her hand and fired at close range.

Not exactly something Ae’lia could avoid, and she took the strike to her abdomen, much to her surprise, more than pain. She took a knee, and Cere ran, but her moment of faltering didn’t last.

Both sides of the lightsaber lit, and Ae’lia hurled it with a shout at Cere’s back, the blade spinning far more rapidly than Ae’lia actually anticipated.

Nonetheless, she sprinted after it, catching it as Cere had recalled her blade to her hand, and deflected the blade back.

Ae’lia caught it, and pursued, half-grateful with Cere for her speed to get out of the area, but not at all grateful for the pain in her abdomen.

At least there was armor; the blaster shot did next to nothing, really. Ae’lia hoped Cere knew that.

~***~

Eli had just started to see one figure looking out over the edge, a woman. He nearly shot, but she pulled away by shots within. Then, hastened steps, and Thrawn’s command to find and secure other exits. Eli cast a glance back at the fighting, the Inquisitor’s form somehow not what he expected from the stories.

He expected something more reckless, but it was…calculated. Pointed.

He didn’t dwell on it, or the flashiness and athleticism of the other woman. He had to go around the house, and make sure they didn’t get out, only as he ran around he did pull out his blaster.



Eli could hear steps, and voices, but not the actual conversation. “Why? I am certain we can handle a few officers. We have before,” Merrin was thinking of how easy it would be to just put an end to them, and did not understand why any games were necessary with this escape now that most were probably drawn by the Inquisitor and Cere.

Though she didn’t know why they couldn’t just go help Cere and clear the area, either….

 

[cleopat]

Skye surmised that they would have known Adlai at least. He was a public figure, previously in a fake relationship with a well known actress. Even if Shay didn’t alert them of who was coming, they may have recognized his face. “No, please refrain from shouting your name in Imperial territories,” she chuckled.

She was a little surprised that they knew her though. She was still so new to Shah-tezh. What did Shay tell them of her? Probably just her name, maybe a slight description.

But they would know she was there with Adlai.

“There’s a Jedi with them,” she started, “maybe I could reach out to him. That could help them distinguish us from foe.” That is, if they saw him soon enough, and if he could tell the others.

Hala had met Caleb Dune a few times when he was a child. She had greatly admired and respected his master, Depa Billaba, as one of the greatest Jedis of their time.

~~

Thrawn kept a watchful gaze on the battle between the Jedi and the Inquisitor. Something just seemed off, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. He wasn’t familiar with lightsaber combat, but everything somehow seemed carefully calculated, almost planned.

That wouldn’t make sense at all.

And the shock on her face at being shot, not pain. That one could be easily explainable, but Thrawn still held his doubts.

They both ran, neither one sparing him a glance. After that, he decided on going through the building, instead of around it like he commanded the officers. If they could corner the others, or if he could find anything of use from where they were.

~~

Lin didn’t doubt that this crew, especially the scary-hot witch, could handle more than their fair share of officers. “If they find out too soon that I’m not an Imperial, then they could call for backup, and then we would really be screwed. Plus, your ship is under lockdown in an Imperial hangar, guarded by Stormtroopers. We need to be more careful than that.” A pause. “Can you hide your blaster until I say so?” he asked Greez, momentarily forgetting his name.

Greez complied, albeit grumbling, and he stashed the blaster out of sight.

Cal shifted the bundle in his arms. The Child had been sleeping earlier, but he had a feeling the baby was about to get a rude awakening. He still may be able to fight with his lightsaber, but he would need to be careful with movement. “Ready?” he asked, but he gave no one time to respond before the doors opened.

Tobias and Ortell, once they found another exit, took up a hiding spot and kept their blasters trained on the door. Not long after they spotted Eli and Cora as well, just as they heard voices coming from within.

Cora kept behind a wall, hidden from the exit, when she too started to hear the voices. In the next moment, the doors opened, and she, along with Ortell and Tobias, aimed to fire their blasters on the group.

Lin quickly called out to them, “I have these traitors to the Empire taken care of. The Inquisitorius will take it from here.”

 

[Lucyfer]

As amusing as the thought was of announcing his presence wherever he went in Lothal was, he would indeed refrain from that. However, he knew that his identity would help them in connecting with the others.

“Hopefully,” Adlai said, “It seems you all are able to sense each other.” That was useful, he had to hope it held true on Lothal, between this Kanan and Skye. “How does that…work, exactly?” He’d seen it work with Eira, obviously, when she figured out who Skye was.

Skye had been much more reluctant, than, though.

He wondered if it was a thing that some people were better at – probably.

The Force still didn’t make enough sense to him, despite ‘dating’ a Jedi for a significant period of time.

~***~

They weren’t followed.

Cere and Ae’lia were aware of that soon enough, but they still put distance between themselves and the house – and, unfortunately, ran into Stormtroopers. Stormtroopers that would not be conscious for very long as Cere came to an abrupt halt, and then Ae’lia smashed them against the nearest wall.

Cere looked back in surprise, “Do you really think they’re going to understand?” Ae’lia asked Cere, who shook her head slowly. In her experience, no one who didn’t have the Force, really understood it.

Greez was still confused often enough.

They walked from that point, putting some distance between themselves and the Stormtroopers, and making sure the area was clear. “I’m going to have to go back to work with them. I want you to escape, this time?”

“What do you mean, this time?” Cere asked.

“I think the best way to do this, will be to capture most of you – not Cal,” Cal had a child. “We can take everyone to the hangar to be secured, but it also takes them nearer to the Mantis. A scuffle there, some conveniently unlocked binders…” Ae’lia shrugged, “with enough chaos between the four of us Force users,” and their misunderstandings of it, “we can have you on the Mantis and out. From there, it’s on you….”

They would have to navigate whatever had been put into the sky by Thrawn.

“So why not arrest me now?”

“I would prefer if the others knew the plan,” which meant she had to hope Lin hadn’t royally screwed that up, “but if they’re somehow apprehended…at least you know it.”

Cere could appreciate that. She nodded, and stepped back, “Until later, then, Ae’lia.”

“May the Force be with you,” she said, before Cere was gone, and Ae’lia had to make her way back.

~***~

Eli had also aimed at the group, but he took note that all of them were still standing, unbound. A Jedi, and a Witch, were at least among that crew, and Eli moved from his spot. He was pretty sure he had more authority than a Purgetrooper, though admittedly, in this situation, he wasn’t clear on that.

“That’s far enough,” Eli said as he moved to intercept the Purgetrooper. “We’ll hold them here until the Inquisitor gets back, and we’ll call for some binders for each of them.” He stated, glancing at the ginger who seemed to be holding something in a bundle. His brow furrowed at that, but for the moment, he wouldn’t attempt to reach for it.

Damnit where was Thrawn to call for binders? Eli didn’t have the information for the Stormtroopers.

Merrin was definitely considering murdering them all where they stood. Maybe not the Purgetrooper, but if she knocked him out, he’d look like he was one of them, right? This couldn’t seem convincing to anyone, could it – that they’d all go along peacefully?

Unless it was for The Child’s sake….

 

[cleopat]

Skye nodded. It was true, that they could sense each other, almost instinctively depending on the distance. She had sensed Ae’lia that night they met, though her years in isolation from other Jedi and running from those who hunted them, led her to be weary initially of who Ae’lia could be.

“It...can be difficult to explain. The Force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. We can sense this Force in everything through focus, but it is stronger in those who can wield the Force.” She had remembered Yoda explaining something very similar when she was a very young girl, looking at him with wide, inquisitive hazel eyes and eager to learn.

“And beyond that, we can sense who these Force wielders are, if we know them.” Skye shook her head, “I don’t know how to explain that. It’s just a feeling.” That was a lot of what the Force was, a feeling.

And sometimes that was just the best way to describe anything with how she dealt with the Force. A feeling she could control.

~~

The first thought that flew through Thrawn’s head as he walked through the house was that there wasn’t enough damage to indicate any kind of fighting or struggle. On the outside, there were blaster marks and damage left behind by the witch.

But inside? The broken window, and some shots on the floor. With an Inquisitor, a Purge Trooper, and a rebel cell, there should have been more signs of a fight. No, nothing was quite adding up.

In that moment, a voice came over his comlink. “Grand Admiral Thrawn?” His voice sounded hesitant and nervous. The same Stormtrooper as before.

“Yes, go on.”

“An Inquisitor just arrived. She said she was the one sent for the situation on Corellia.”

Thrawn paused, and his eyes narrowed. The dots were connecting in his head at what was truly happening. “Is she still in the hangar?”

“No sir, she just left and is headed in your direction.”

He heard the noise of the others, coming from the back of the house. Jaw tightening, he spoke into the comlink again to give orders to his Stormtroopers. “Tighten the parameter around my location. The rebels have been spotted.”

Thrawn quickly considered what he should do next. Until the real Inquisitor and Purge Trooper arrived, they would be grossly outmatched. He switched his comlink to his officers, “It seems our Inquisitor and her Purge Trooper here aren’t who they say they are. They’re working with the rebels. Keep them distracted. Our real Inquisitor is almost here.”

~~

Cora’s eyes narrowed on the scene. One Purge Trooper against the four of them. That didn’t add up, unless they were being threatened. Maybe to protect whatever was in that bag? Another one of them had been fighting the Inquisitor. Was she already captured?

Lin paused. Waiting for Ae’lia may be the best option, especially since Cere was with her. If they got into trouble, it would be better to have more Jedis with them to escape. “Alright,” Lin agreed. “But only until she gets back, then they all come with us.”

The Child under the blanket stirred more, and Cal shifted, trying to hush him without making any noise. The officers still didn’t know what was under the blanket, and they didn’t need to know. But the Child seemed to be waking up and curious as to what’s going on around him. Please just hold still for a little bit longer.

Thrawn’s command came through the comlinks. Ortell and Tobias were far enough away that they didn’t worry about the rebels overhearing his words, but Cora wondered about hers and Eli’s. Hopefully less than a few minutes to go...

 

[Lucyfer]

That was always what Adlai seemed to hear – that the Force was a feeling, and it flowed through all living things. Even before he met Eira, that was what he knew of it, and little more. Of course, it made sense that those who could wield it, would be more prominent in the Force, but he wondered if that was always true.

He wondered if there were ways to mask it, or disguise it.

He wondered if, sometimes, people who couldn’t use the Force had such a signature energy within it.

He wouldn’t ask these questions right then. There were other things to think of, and so he nodded his understanding, “That seems to be what I’ve always heard. That it is a feeling…I suppose, not knowing it, I can’t truly fathom it, but I do trust you. It must be like trying to imagine a color you can’t see.”

There were species out there that could see more colors than him.

It was still hard to imagine, in the way this feeling that he could never feel was.

~***~

The situation had changed.

Ae’lia felt it as she drew closer to the area that she had left, although the source of it didn’t quite strike her realization immediately. There was something wrong with the entire situation, with the fact officers and Stormtroopers weren’t laying out flat.

With the fact that she could still feel Cal, Lin, and Merrin too close to this area. ‘Why didn’t they flee?’ This was problematic, but not impossible to deal with. Cere knew the plan; Ae’lia would just have to get them to the ships.

They needed to be brought in to the Empire, didn’t they?

There was no real reason to go around the house when going through it would be quicker, so she didn’t even think twice before crossing the threshold and heading to the back exit.

~***~

Eli heard what Thrawn had to say, as Lin was speaking. He saw the way that the witch seemed to narrow her eyes, but she didn’t hear. Eli was certain of that. He wouldn’t respond to Thrawn, except to say, “Glad the perimeter is clear. We need some binders when you can get them,” as if this was just a casual, everyday conversation.

Though they really could need some binders, and he’d like to see the Purgetrooper argue against that.

Merrin had to fight against shooting any of them a look, but her eyes did shift to the moving bundle. ‘No, no, no, stay asleep.’

“I’ll take that,” Eli said, interrupting her thoughts, as he stepped forward to take the bundle from Cal. “And all your weapons. Now.”

If nothing else, the argument might be a hell of a distraction until the actual Inquisitor showed up.

Or maybe he was about to get a lightsaber through his face.

 

[cleopat]

Skye nodded her agreement. “Yeah, it can be described a bit like that, like a color you can’t see. It’s just...a feeling only others strong in the Force understand.” There was no better way to explain it, and it was a reason why so many didn’t understand the Force, or even fear it.

A light beeping from the cockpit refocused Skye’s attention. “Exiting lightspeed over Lothal,” she said, and the sight of the blurring stars in the viewport changed to a view of the planet. This is it.

Skye refocused her attention on piloting their ship, but she did glance over at Adlai to ask, “Where am I landing this ship?” There had to be several Imperial hangars, if that’s where they were headed, or if there was a plan for something more discrete.

Or if Adlai didn’t know either, then Skye would have to make a decision, and quick.

~~

Thrawn had started to move to the back of the house, where the others were, before he could hear the footsteps of someone else entering the house. It was light, a woman’s, and as everyone else was behind the house, he had two guesses as to who was there.

And he doubted the real Inquisitor arrived on scene yet.

He turned around and waited for the imposter to come into view. “Ah, Inquisitor, good job fighting that Jedi.” One brow rose as he ‘looked’ behind her, then back onto her masked face. “Did you take care of her?” No, the Jedi was still out there, alive and running.

“Or is she running to join your rebel friends?” There was at least one other imposter there, the Purge Trooper. They had to be part of a bigger group if they had the resources to disguise themselves.

Thrawn just needed to find out who these other rebels were.

~~

Cal glowered at the officer who approached them and demanded the Child, along with their weapons. He took a reflexive step back, and his fingers twitched in the desire to pull out his lightsaber, or to push the man away with the Force.

It seemed that the Child could sense Cal’s distress. He stuck his head out from under the blanket, even as Cal tried to keep him still, and one tiny hand rose. In an instant, Eli was pushed backwards by an invisible Force hard enough that he wasn’t near them anymore.

“Eli!” Cora yelled. She wanted to run over to him to make sure he was okay, but her officer training told her to focus on the mission first, and so she did. She instinctively fired her blaster at the rebels, as did Ortell and Tobias.

Cal was quick to react, pulling out his lightsaber with his free hand and deflecting the bolts. “Okay, time to drop the act and make our escape,” Lin said, aiming his blaster rifle on the Stormtroopers now converging on the area from the noise.

“About time,” grumbled Greez, taking his blaster out to shoot at the troopers.

Cora kept coverage behind a container as she kept shooting, but the shots kept getting deflected. Even with the real Inquisitor, this may be a fight we have to admit defeat. She didn’t want to and let down the Empire, but they were grossly outnumbered.

And there was that...that thing the orange haired man was holding. Where’s that Inquisitor and the Grand Admiral?

 

[Lucyfer]

Lothal was soon above them, and Adlai looked down at the planet. Shay had offered some details about where they ought to head. “Ideally, Capital City Spaceport,” he said, “we’re not joining with any Stormtrooper contingencies, and this is likely to be overlooked there.” They had to hope, a Purgetrooper showing up on security footage might be notable.

Shay had to have thought of that, though, right?

“There are some sewers that we’re supposed to navigate in order to find the Ghost crew. I have the directions on my datapad,” he added, “there’s an entrance near that spaceport.” They just had to get down into it.

Apparently, there were some that were guarded.

That may be why the Purgetrooper – given the Jedi, a Purgetrooper might be a believable scout.

They would soon see.

~***~

Ae’lia found Mitth’raw’nuruodo before the others.

It was the first time she saw him truly make a mistake, as well, calling her out for what she was – before the sounds of blaster fire from outside caught her attention, as well. He’d played his hand too obviously. Too openly. “For someone with your reputation, I thought you would know when to pretend a little longer,” she commented, still in that accent and pitched voice.

She was not sure how Thrawn knew, but that did not matter.

He knew, and the rebels were being fired on – the odds of them being killed seemed high. This was not how she wanted things. “A pity. I had hoped to do this without bloodshed.”

That option was off the table, and rather than let Thrawn consider any act, she reached out for him with the Force and caught him in it – and threw him towards the door she’d just entered from, hard, before she sprinted to the back.

‘Sorry Mitth’raw’nuruodo.’

But she would not let him get in the way.

~***~

Eli was definitely surprised by what happened, more than he was hurt. He blinked a few times, before realizing the others had opened fire. “Wai—” there was no time to recall it, the damage was done, the Purgetrooper revealed themselves for a traitor, and the others all took out weapons they still had.

Merrin seemed to vanish right before his eyes, before seeming to manifest on the roof of the house, to rain down green energy bolts at them. Eli had to roll to evade them, but they would start to fall on Cora, Ortell, and Tobias, as well, before a wave would wash over the ground to catch some of the Stormtroopers in it and sweep them off their feet.

“Go!” Merrin shouted, intending to hold back a moment to hold them off, and perhaps rush off to find Cere.

She was the quicker of them, after all, and Cal had the child.

He had to get out of there as soon as he could.

As she said it, the Fake Inquisitor appeared below to join the group.

“Where is—”

“Joining – let us go!” Ae’lia was on board with the running part, now, lighting up her saber to help with deflecting bolts. “I will cover your back.” She promised, wanting to see Greez, Lin, and Cal get a headstart.

 

[cleopat]

Skye piloted the ship down to the planet, now with a destination in mind. “Alright, got it.” She hailed the station for permission to land, and immediately a voice greeted her.

“This is Capital City Spaceport Security.”

With a clipped accent, one she had heard most other Imperials speak with, Skye answered, “This is Purge Trooper 655 from the Inquisitorius requesting immediate landing.” She tried to sound as firm as she could, as she imagined the Purge Troopers sounded.

“Y-yes of course. Hangar 12 is clear for your arrival.”

“Good,” she responded curtly before disconnecting the call. “There, that seemed easy enough.” Her voice reverted back to normal as she spoke to Adlai. “Now, sewers you say? Should be easy enough to get down into them, but exactly how large are the Capital City sewers?”

~~

Thrawn too realized the mistake a moment too late, and before he knew it, an invisible force threw him against the door. He grunted with the pain that now radiated down his back, but he couldn’t let himself linger in that pain for too long.

With a shaking hand, he lifted his comlink to contact the shipyard, “This is Grand Admiral Thrawn. I need those TIE Fighters deployed, and the hangar with the Mantis is to go under a full lockdown. The rebels will be headed that way, with imposters disguised as an Inquisitor and a Purge Trooper.”

There was a confirmation, and with that, Thrawn stood and hurried to the back with long strides, blaster now in one hand.

Drawing close, he raised his hand to wordlessly fire on the rebels he could immediately see, including the Inquisitor.

~~

Ortell and Tobias stared wide eyed at Merrin, who just disappeared and reappeared on the roof of the house. Cora gasped, and as the green energy bolts rain down on them, they each dodged the magic, hoping the Stormtroopers could put a stop to them.

Some of the troopers were knocked down, and the rebels took that chance to start running out of there. Cal didn’t hesitate, and he took the lead, lightsaber still in one hand, and the other fighting to hold the curious Child still. He really wanted to see what the noise was about.

Greez and Lin followed behind, shooting at any of the officers and Troopers when they had the chance. A few of the Troopers fell, but the bolts still came one after another.

Cora, knowing that focusing her blaster on any of the Jedis was useless, focused on the two that only had blasters in their hands. She fired at them, but the bolts barely missed as she kept dodging the witch’s energy bolts.

 

[Lucyfer]

Adlai was impressed with the mannerisms that Skye was quick to adopt, but he reminded himself she’d been on her own for a while. She may not be the actress Eira was, but she was not without her skills – in this case, survival skills in dealing with the Empire.

He still gave a smile towards her, approval radiating from it, as they neared the spaceport.

He lifted the helmet then and put it on. Best not to delay overlong with that, after all. “They’re fairly extensive,” he noted, “but I have a map that should help us navigate it, and point us where to go,” he said, rising from his seat as they landed, “The issue may be getting into them, but not if you can talk like that.”

She’d command enough authority and get them by any who might question.

Adlai knew that Purgetroopers tended to stand in a questionable position, in relation to the other sorts. The hierarchy with them, and Inquisistors, wasn’t clear.

~***~

There was one good thing about the Inquisitor blade: it spun. That made deflecting blaster bolts terribly easy, if not as easy to direct them where she wanted. Merrin was useful in keeping their foes’ aim off, but Ae’lia wanted to make sure they didn’t die; somehow, she didn’t think the Nightsister would care.

“Go!” Ae’lia shouted at her.

Merrin paused, just a moment, and considered arguing, before Cere came into the area from the other direction, a Stormtrooper finding themselves impaled on her blade, “Go on, Merrin!” Cere shouted at her, “Let us handle this!”

Merrin gave a nod, and hopped off the roof to catch up with the others, “I would love my lightsaber back anytime now, Ae’lia!”

Ae’lia wasn’t pleased for Cere to use her name – but it was far better than being called Eira in this situation. “Hm.”

Ae’lia lifted her hand, or really, uncurled it upwards, in an effort to grasp many blasters at once. Eli felt his lifted with the gesture, though he tried to hang on to it. Those that she was able to grasp and pull free, she tossed far away, before she threw Cere her lightsaber, and Cere tossed the two orange ones towards her.

~***~

Merrin was able to catch up with the others fairly quickly, clearing more of the Stormtroopers out of the way, “Cere and Ae’lia are behind – we need to get to the Mantis – pick them up, perhaps?” It was her only idea. She could cloak the Mantis. They hadn’t wanted to do that. It still took her time and energy to cloak a ship that large.

Time which they’d be shot at by TIEs, among other problems.

One such problem which revealed itself in the sound of a flaring lightsaber, and the presence of someone who looked like the Inquisitor they left behind, but obviously, was not.

Merrin could feel the darkness radiating out from them.

“Well, well…if it is not Cal Kestis himself,” the Inquisitor spoke, “I owe you two deaths.” Of course, every Inquisitor was told that Cal killed both Second Sister and Ninth Sister, although Second Sister had been slain by Darth Vader.

“Cal—run,” Merrin said, stepping ahead, only to feel her throat suddenly constricted, as she was lifted from her feet.

 

[cleopat]

Skye felt the approval radiating from Adlai, and she gave him her own small smile. Living the life she had, staying hidden from the Empire, she had created many identities and learned to quickly adapt new personas. As long as no one stopped her to ask any detailed questions requiring proof of identity, she felt confident in her role as a Purge Trooper.

Adlai started to put on his helmet, and as she navigated the ship to the spaceport, Skye reached for her own helmet, laying on the floor next to her seat. “I think I can manage to talk like that again,” she said with a smirk. Especially if it meant scaring a few Stormtroopers.

Skye put her helmet on, and their ship soon landed in the hanger assigned to them. “Ready?” She was, and she wasn’t, but at least she had some fun weapons. That definitely made things better.

She stepped off the ship first, head held high as she surveyed the surroundings. No one there to talk to them. Good. It just meant their first challenge would be to access the sewers. “You said there was a way into the sewers near the entrance of the spaceport, right?”

~~

Cora’s blaster was forced away from her, even as she tried to hang on to it as hard as she could. Ortell and Tobias managed to keep theirs, which they used to continue firing onto the Jedis, but each shot just kept getting blocked.

Ae’lia? Ortell overheard the name used on the fake Inquisitor, and he filed it away to tell Thrawn later.

At least the Nightsister was no longer shooting those green energy balls down on them. Never had Cora thought she would ever encounter something like that.

As the two Jedis exchanged their lightsabers, Thrawn appeared from the house, his blaster still in his hand. His body ached from the Force throw, but it was something he could ignore.

The other rebels were gone, and he could only hope that the real Inquisitor finally showed up to stop them in their path.

Thrawn fired shot after shot on the two Jedis, with Ortell and Tobias joining in on the fire. It could be useless, or it could prove a good enough distraction until the TIEs came in.

~~

Greez was eager to agree with Merrin’s idea, but Cal was more hesitant. He didn’t want to leave anyone behind, but if anyone could handle some officers and troopers, it could be two previous Jedis. They still needed to make sure the Child got out of there safely

Abruptly he stopped and tried to push Greez and Lin behind him. Another Inquisitor was in front of them, but he could feel the difference. This was a real Inquisitor. The darkness that radiated from her was overpowering.

As if he could feel the tension in Cal, the Child started to stir, and Cal silently willed him to stay still. “No, you really don’t,” he murmured. Merrin urged him to run, something he didn’t even consider before the Inquisitor had her grip on Merrin.

With a movement of his hand, Cal used the Force to suddenly push against the Inquisitor in an attempt to get her Force grip off of Merrin.

“We could really use the other two here right now,” Lin mumbled, searching for an alternative way they could escape.

Something told him that running would be useless against a real Inquisitor. Lin couldn’t feel the darkness like Cal and Merrin could, but she was terrifying in her own right.

 

[Lucyfer]

Adlai was certain Skye could, and she wouldn’t mess things up. For now, things ought to be smooth. No one was there to greet them, and Adlai nodded, gesturing, “This way,” he took them towards the lower levels of the spaceport, for the sewer entrance was on the last floor of it.

They weren’t stopped on the way there, but there were guards stationed by the sewer entrance. Adlai made sure to fall behind Skye’s steps, so he wouldn’t seem to be leading. She would see the entrance now, anyways.

They were ridiculously large in Lothal.

The two Stormtroopers guarding it did exchange a look, before turning their attention back to the new pair, “We weren’t told of any Purgetrooper relief,” one said, and the other palmed their face, clearly thinking that was the wrong thing to say.

There was no way a Purgetrooper was going to be assigned to guard duty, especially not after the Jedi was captured.

~***~

Ae’lia had not truly expected Thrawn to stay down, but she definitely wished he had been down longer. Cere wasn’t exactly as merciful as Ae’lia would have wanted in this situation, for as soon as she had her lightsaber in hand, she was quick to lunge at Eli, who dodged, but was unable to grab his blaster.

With the appearance of Thrawn, Cere’s attention shifted.

Those with blasters were irksome for her getting close enough to take out a leader, but also, easily dealt with.

The lightsaber was easy for deflection of blasts, and she kept it twirling in one hand, as with the other, she pulled her own blaster out.

She fired a blaster shot at Ortell, and lunged Tobias, a slash meant to take his hands off.


Ae’lia knew she’d have to convince Cere to flee, somehow, if she wanted any hope of them leaving the party alive. Already, it was looking like a couple might suffer more than scrapes.

The answer came in a pulse from the Force, as she blocked the blaster shots sent at her.

She directed two right back towards Thrawn – but not meant to hit him, just meant to hit the doorway around him. Hopefully close enough to make him duck back – “Cere – we have to go, now!”

Thankfully, she didn’t need to explain.

Cere would feel it, too, even without being as sensitive to the Force, and once she could disengage from the ensigns, she’d start to move off.

~***~

First Sister braced as she saw Cal’s stance shift, and held Merrin tight. She increased the pressure in response, and Merrin took to glowing green. She couldn’t break out of this, but she could still use the Force to try, anyways.

Or, she tried, at any rate.

It failed her, her hands going back to her neck and losing their glow only moments later and returning to pointlessly grasp at her own neck, as if she could pull those invisible hands away from her throat.

Of course, she couldn’t.

“Is this really what the great Cal Kestis is made of?” The Inquisistor lit her lightsaber – and hurled it at Merrin to cut her in half.

 

[cleopat]

Skye followed Adlai, before she took up the lead, down to the lower levels of the spaceport, where they were greeted by two Stormtroopers. She easily slid back into character, and she let out a haughty scoff. “Of course you weren’t. How typical.”

The troopers straightened, and Skye could sense the nervousness radiating from them. Good. “The leadership on this planet has been rather lacking, if the trouble that these rebels have caused is any indication.” She shook her head.

“Since you were obviously not told the correct assignment, I shall do it for you. You two are stationed at Checkpoint Five effective immediately. I am sure you don’t wish for me to tell your superiors that you two prevented a Purge Trooper from doing her duty, especially when there’s still insurgents loose.”

And if her threats didn’t do the trick, Skye contemplated on using the mind trick on these troopers. No one would know, except for Adlai.

~~

Ortell cursed as the Jedi shifted her attention on him and Tobias. He dodged out of the way of the blaster, and his elbow hit the ground harshly. Shit. Nothing was broken, but Ortell could tell he would have a nasty bruise later.

Tobias, meanwhile, stared wide eyed at the lightsaber. He hissed out a curse when the saber came for him. He jumped backwards before moving into a diving roll to the side to further dodge the Jedi. Tobias didn’t escape completely unscathed, as he felt a searing pain in his lower right arm.

Cere hadn’t succeeded in slashing his hands off, but the giant slash in his dominant arm certainly left him unable to attack until he got medical help.

Cora wanted to go towards each of the officers, but without any weapon, she was helpless against a Jedi, and she did not want her attention to refocus on her without anything to defend herself.

Fortunately, the other Jedi called her back. Thrawn had taken a step backwards with the redirection of the blasters back at him, but he crossed the threshold to step back outside, eyes narrowing at their retreating forms. Twice, the masked Jedi could have killed him, and twice she didn’t.

“Grand Admiral.” His gaze turned to look at Cora, who had spoken. “What do we do now?”

“We see how our true Inquisitor deals with these Jedis.”

~~

Cal glared at the Inquisitor as he realized his attempt to catch her off guard did nothing but tighten the grip around Merrin’s neck. She threw her lightsaber at Merrin, and he was quick to deflect it with his own saber.

With his brief window of opportunity, Cal removed the blanket holding the Child from around his neck and shoved it into Lin’s arms, causing the man to drop his blaster rifle to hold the bundle. “Keep him safe,” Cal said, and turned his attention back on First Sister, his lightsaber held firmly in his grasp.

Wide eyed, Lin gaped a bit, looking down at the Child, uncovered from the blankets in the shuffle. “Well aren’t you just cute,” he murmured, and the green Child happily cooed. He readjusted the blanket and wrapped part of it around his head to better support the Child.

“I am made of so much more than you know,” Cal said. At first he took slow steps towards the Inquisitor, then he picked up the pace to deliver his first attack on her, a slash aimed at her torso.

 

[Lucyfer]

Adlai couldn’t side-eye Skye, but he wanted to. ‘Skye….’ Checkpoint Five might not exist. Or, worse yet, it would exist, and the people there would realize something was up, soon. He made a mental note to go over things to improve on, later.

Saying there were orders for a sweep of the sewer system should have been enough.

Given, this still got them in. There apparently was a Checkpoint Five. “What kind of bullshit is this, we’ve been on duty here for four hours just to be moved?”

The other nudged him, “Thank you for letting us know,” they said to Skye, before starting to head off, the other following, grumbling complaints as they went.

Adlai would only move to take position.

They had to at least wait until the Stormtroopers were out of sight.

~***~

Eli truly had no desire to follow after the Jedi.

But that was apparently Thrawn’s order.

Still, as he retrieved his blaster, he took note of Ortell and Tobias – most of all, Tobias. He had been hit, and that wasn’t just a graze. “Ortell,” Eli said, tone a bit snappier, “Take Tobias and get medical attention, now.”

He didn’t really think Thrawn was going to contradict him, but he was prepared to stand up for them if it was needed. Tobias had just taken a lightsaber wound, and would likely just be dead weight at this point.

Not that the three of them weren’t, but he wouldn’t say that.

In either case, they’d need to hurry.

The Jedi were…much faster than they looked. And the Fake Inquisitor in particular at least looked fast. He figured anyone in that attire would, though.

~***~

Merrin was dropped as the Inquisitor had to actually engage Cal, pulling her lightsaber back into her hands as he approached. Merrin considered helping, but one look to Lin and Greez, as well as the Child, reminded her of the priority. The priority she still wished Cal had considered. ‘He has done this before.’ Not truly, no.

Cal had only killed Ninth Sister, and even that was mostly gravity. Cal was not a killer at heart.

“Come on,” she moved to Lin and Greez, putting one hand on both of their backs, “We have to go.” They had to keep moving. What was up ahead was something she and Greez could certainly clear. She did not feel another Inquisitor, but she did sense the approach of Cere and Ae’lia.



First Sister was able to get her lightsaber back in her hand by the time that Cal approached and block that first strike easily enough, before pulling the blade up in an attempt to make an opening, and strike back at Cal with the other end of the blade.

Regardless of hit or miss, she would attempt to take back the offensive.

Like every Inquisitor, she didn’t really play defensive.

 

[cleopat]

Skye wanted to snap at the trooper that complained, in her role as the Purge Trooper, but she merely watched them as they walked off in their former guard position.

Once they were out of sight, she turned around to face the entrance to the sewer. “Checkpoint Five isn’t widely used except for larger traffic days and important arrivals. On normal days, it isn’t usually guarded except for the occasional patrol,” she whispered to Adlai, sensing his doubts over her explanation for the troopers.

She had been on Lothal before, including the Capital City Spaceport. She never said what she had been doing there.

Okay, so she didn’t think of the best orders in the moment.

The entrance opened, and Skye looked over at Adlai. He was the one with the directions, after all.

~~

When he heard Eli, Thrawn looked at Tobias, noticing the gash on his arm from the lightsaber. His gaze softened slightly as he nodded for them to go. Tobias couldn’t fight anymore, and he needed medical attention before there was any long-term damage to his arm.

Both ensigns stood up, and with Ortell near Tobias, they left to go seek medical help. Ortell wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was happy that he would be leaving the fight. The Jedi were fucking terrifying.

Cora’s eyes trailed after them for a few seconds. They were hilariously outmatched, and that had almost proven fatal on their two young ensigns. She moved to pick up her blaster that had been discarded and hooked it on her belt for now.

Thrawn looked in the direction of where the Jedi left, and he considered for a moment. The real Inquisitor would be fighting the Jedi, while the rebels would make their escape with the distraction. An escape back to the Mantis.

He would let the Inquisitor deal with the Jedis. They could still stop the rebels.

“Change of plans. We will head back to the hangar, and wait for our rebel friends there.” And, as Ortell and Tobias hadn’t managed to get very far, they could help Tobias seek medical help faster.

~~

Neither Lin nor Greez hesitated to follow Merrin’s urge for them to leave. They were helpless against the Inquisitor. Cal could handle her, and they had to hope that Cere and Ae’lia were close behind and could help Cal.

And still, the Child seemed curious to know what was going in the world outside the blanket it was currently in. “No, no, you just stay in there tiny green creature,” Lin urged.


Cal was focused on making sure the Inquisitor didn’t redirect her attention to the others. Merrin could hold her own against the First Sister, but Lin and Greez were practically defenseless, Lin more so now that he was the one holding the Child.

For the moment, Cal didn’t care if he was on the defensive or offensive. He was concerned with ensuring the safe escape of the others. He focused on blocking her strikes from both ends of her saber, delivering his own strikes when he could.

It was all to keep the attention on him.


With the attention of First Sister on Cal, there was a small window of opportunity to escape the area that Lin and Greez took. With Lin’s arms taken up by the Child, Greez kept closer to him, offering some protection with his blaster.

“We’ll need to be prepared for more troopers when we get to the hangar with your ship,” Lin said. “It was guarded when we arrived, and something tells me that situation is only going to get worse.”