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* * *
Leia's eyes opened groggily. The ceiling above her was white and patterned with small brown spots. She was lying on something smooth and hard. As she orientated herself, she became aware that she was not lying but sitting or rather slouching, in a cold metal chair. She moved her head to see the rest of the room. In the corner sat a large round machine, whose purpose Leia could only guess at.
A flicker of movement caught her attention and she turned her head to the other side. A man was watching her, an Ekash, by the looks of him. Leia's vision cleared and she recognized him as Georeb. Leia went to get up and realized that she'd been tied to the chair.
"It's alright," said Georeb. "We're not going to hurt you. We just need your help."
Leia stared at him in disbelief, "The New Republic doesn't conquer star systems. We negotiate, nobody is forced to join."
Leia turned her head to see Natheb walking towards her, smiling pleasantly. Georeb made to stand but Natheb waved at him to relax. He leant over her. She flinched but all he did was attach electrodes to her head. The machine beside her began to rotate and she could almost feel it pulling at her. Natheb smiled at her and nodded at Georeb. Georeb swivelled round in his chair to a console. He activated a communications channel, broadband and audio only.
"To all approaching ships, there is no Ekash homeworld. Repeat, to all approaching ships, there is no Ekash homeworld..."
* * * * *
Anakin sat at the control panel of the Fahren, even though he knew it was running automatically at the moment. He had already recalibrated the proximity sensors and run diagnostics on all the ship systems. There was nothing left to do. Ben had shaken his head disapprovingly and then withdrawn to meditate. Sometimes Anakin's Master would tolerate certain behaviours and turn a blind eye, as long as it was only over a trivial matter.
Anakin double-checked the instruments beneath his fingertips. It was only a matter of minutes before they should emerge from hyperspace near the Ekash homeworld of Ekara. He knew he should go tell Master Ben but he could not quite bring himself to leave the controls. He wondered what Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were doing at the moment. Luke was flying his own X-wing. Anakin felt a surge of pride; he had heard gossip from the dockworkers that Luke was an accomplished pilot. A hero, one of them had said. Anakin's son was a hero. That thought was oddly comforting.
All too soon, the Fahren dropped smoothly out of hyperspace into real space. Most of the New Republic X-wings had already emerged but seemed to be milling about uncertainly. The purple tinged planet of the Ekash loomed large on the view screen. Almost immediately, the Fahren began receiving a transmission. Anakin flicked on the comm unit and a voice filtered through the speakers.
"...no Ekash homeworld. Repeat, to all approaching ships, there is no Ekash homeworld..."
Anakin's nimble fingers moved to the navigation computer to begin calculations. A rough calloused hand covered one of Anakin's hands. Anakin looked up to find Ben watching him curiously. Anakin made another move towards the navigation computer but Ben shook his head firmly.
His Master activated a comm channel to the squadron, "It's a mind trick, an illusion. The planet is still there, you just can't see it."
"Do we have a team of Jedi?" came the hesitant reply.
Anakin ignored the rest of the instructions given to the fighter pilots and turned to his Master.
Anakin closed his eyes and tightened his mental shields. As he did so, he felt a drag on the corner of his mind. Searching, he soon found the thought that was not his. He carefully separated it from his own and discarded it. This done, he tightened his mental shields a little further and opened his eyes. The Ekash homeworld once again filled the viewscreen.
Heat rose in Anakin's cheeks. Just when he'd thought he understood the Force, he'd fallen for a trick a Jedi Initiate could have seen through. He quickly dampened down his embarrassment, knowing it would earn him a lecture from Ben.
Anakin blushed again, realizing that once again he'd been unable to shield his thoughts from his Master. Ben looked as if he were going to say something further but seemed to decide against it.
"And a way to distract enemy fighters," said Qui-Gon.
Anakin found it difficult to keep quiet but he knew that the older Jedi would not appreciate his interruptions so he kept his thoughts to himself. He wondered if Obi-Wan were having as much trouble, if he were sitting next to Qui-Gon and listening mutely to the conversation.
"We'll only have our three ships to work with. Would a decoy be able to draw the cannon fire?" asked Qui-Gon.
Anakin's breath caught in his throat. He wasn't sure why Ben had suggested it but he knew his flying techniques had been severely disapproved of by his more planet-bound Master. He didn't think he could bear it, if Ben told Anakin's own son that Anakin couldn't cut it.
"He's a capable pilot but he's also erratic and unpredictable," said Ben confidently. "He'd make the perfect decoy. The cannon operators won't know what to do."
"I can track Leia," said Luke. "The illusion must be using up a lot of energy - either from a person or from a machine. Either way, Qui-Gon, do you think you could track it?"
Anakin grinned in response since he knew very well that he could fly the Fahren by himself. He'd been itching to do it ever since he'd seen the ship.
* * * * *
Emalda huddled miserably in the hangar bay, in the empty space where the Fahren used to sit. She'd failed. She couldn't quite put it into words but she knew instinctively that she'd failed and Emalda always trusted her instincts. She sat with her head on her knees, listening to the communications chatter of Ekash Guards on a stolen listening device. They had been looking for her earlier but something else seemed to be keeping them occupied now. The listening device occasionally broke up into static but it was tuned to the same frequency as the commlinks that all the guards carried.
Emalda's ears perked up. It wasn't much to go on but she knew that the Fahren was a silver ship. It wasn't easy to identify the Fahren's model; Emalda even suspected that Yulana had built the Fahren from scratch. The Fahren was all that Emalda had left of Yulana and she had to at least try to get it back.
Tucking the box-shaped listening device beneath one arm, Emalda crept to the hangar door. She looked out but all she saw was the landing pad, the entrance to the mines and the surrounding forest. She sighed, knowing that the Fahren wasn't going to come back. She could think of no reason that the thieves would even return to the Ekash homeworld. It must be another silver ship and not the Fahren after all.
Emalda was turning to reenter the hangar when she heard a familiar hum. She shrank back where she could see without being seen. Sure enough, the Fahren soon appeared. The pilot maneuvered the ship skilfully and had obviously used this particular landing pad before. The trees and weeds combined to make the landing pad invisible from the air. You simply had to know it was there.
There was a chance Emalda could sneak onboard, reclaim the ship. She tensed herself for a mad sprint. Much to her disappointment, the Fahren did not land. It hovered and extended the ramp. Someone jumped from the ramp and scrambled to get undercover. The ramp retracted and the Fahren took off once more. The person left behind by the Fahren started towards the hangar. Emalda swore and backtracked into the darkness. She turned off the listening device and hid. The sound of booted footsteps on the landing pad was painfully loud. It was also with a certain amount of pain that Emalda realized that she was unarmed.
* * * * *
Leia could barely focus. The dizziness was almost overwhelming and her last meal threatened to re-emerge. She struggled against the straps restraining her. Georeb remained constantly by the console while Natheb kept drifting in and out of her field of vision. In the background, Leia could hear the reports of the Ekash guards.
"...the starfighter's been abandoned. No sign of the pilot..."
Leia heard the distinctive beep of Natheb activating his own comlink, "Cancel that, all units fall back and prepare to close off the city."
Natheb walked back into sight. He appeared unruffled by her comment, he was even smiling but his eyes were flashing angrily. Georeb looked up at the confrontation.
Yelling and screaming erupted over the communications channel and Natheb turned away from Leia.
Several of the comlinks went silent. A moment later there was another yell, just outside the room. Natheb drew a blaster nervously and locked the door. Georeb slipped a pair of earmuffs over his ears and handed a pair to Natheb. Natheb walked over to Leia. As he slipped them over Leia's ears, all sound disappeared. It was as if the whole universe had been covered by a blanket. With all the background noise shut out, all Leia could hear was the sound of her own body - her own heartbeat and her wheezing breath. She watched as Natheb slipped earmuffs over his own ears and stood facing the locked door expectantly. Georeb's hands hovered over the controls. After a moment, the door began to glow red-hot. It was eerie to watch the metal burn slowly, sparks showering down onto the floor but remaining deathly silent to Leia's ears. A large chunk of metal fell forward noiselessly. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stepped though the hole. The Ekash atmosphere had turned Qui-Gon's lightsabre lavender and Obi-Wan's such a dark shade of purple it was almost black. Obi-Wan watched behind them while Qui-Gon advanced on Natheb. Qui-Gon, maddeningly calm, spoke. The words were lost on Leia and quite possibly on Natheb also.
Natheb simply grinned, unconcerned, and Georeb flipped a switch on the control panel. Instantly Qui-Gon's mouth opened in a silent gasp and he fell to his knees. He held one of his hands to his ears, the other clutching his lightsabre in a quivering grasp. Obi-Wan was affected as well, clutching his head with his hands and writhing on the floor. His lightsabre had been discarded and his mouth was moving frantically but this time Leia was glad she couldn't hear the words.
Natheb smirked, unaffected and protected by the earmuffs. Raising a blaster, he approached Qui-Gon. To his credit, Qui-Gon managed to deflect the first stun bolt with his lightsabre. He was not so lucky with the second. The aged Jedi Master slumped to the floor and remained unmoving. Natheb then moved towards Obi-Wan while Georeb gathered up their lightsabres.
* * * * *
Anakin swooped past the North tower again. He was moving east, away from the secluded spot where he'd dropped off his Master. Nobody on the ground seemed to have realized yet that there was an extra Jedi on foot. Given the thick undergrowth and Ben's skill, it was unlikely anyone could have stopped him if they had. It was even questionable whether the Ekash even knew they were fighting Jedi, since the Jedi had been all but wiped out years before.
The ion cannon protecting the North Tower had already been destroyed but, luckily for the Ekash, Anakin wasn't interested in the North Tower. He made a few more passes, watching the soldiers scatter in panic. The Ekash Guards didn't seem very experienced and were rather prone to breaking rank and fleeing. Anakin swung back towards the centre of the city. An alarm on his console prompted Anakin to react before he recognized the problem. A huge blue energy field had been generated to cover the inner city. It was impenetrable to ships and judging from the panic of the outer city guards, also impenetrable to people on foot.
Not only Anakin but also the guards manning the North Tower, were trapped outside the inner city. As Anakin swerved away, he realized that there was little chance his Master had managed to make it inside the city before the field had been raised. He hoped the others had been faster but then again, there was no guarantee that they were heading for the city at all. He hoped it wasn't vital to the mission but he had a sinking feeling it was. A mental scream tore into Anakin's mind. He jerked and screamed out loud himself. He could literally feel the pain in the other mind. Anakin covered his ears with his hands and squeezed his eyes shut as he desperately tried to raise his mental shields. The scream faded into an insistent wail and Anakin managed to gather his thoughts. The wail faded further into a moan and then into a murmur that indicated the screamer's unconsciousness. Anakin took deep breaths and tried to calm his body.
The scream had come along the Master/Padawan bond that Anakin shared with Ben but he knew instinctively that it had not been his Master's mental voice. He couldn't think of anyone else who could use their bond, unless it was the younger Obi-Wan. Feeling that this was the answer, Anakin opened his eyes. He found that in the few seconds where he had lost control, the Fahren had careened wildly and was now aimed straight at the ground. The colour drained from Anakin's cheeks as his hands returned to the controls with Force enhanced speed.
The Fahren began to curve upwards again but it was too late. The Fahren's nose lifted but it's belly ploughed into the soft soil. The force of the impact threw sand up in a shockwave. The sound of shrieking metal filled the cabin as the Fahren jerked and skidded across the ground. Anakin was thrown about, bouncing painfully off the control console and then back into his seat. Anakin looked up again just in time to watch as the Fahren slammed into the base of the North Tower.
* * * * *
Emalda's grip on the listening device had begun to turn her knuckles white. Her legs had started to cramp from maintaining a crouch. The footsteps of the stranger had stopped a few seconds ago but Emalda wasn't foolish enough to think the stranger had disappeared. By now, she was so terrified that she would have preferred even Georeb's remorse or Natheb's condescension to this anonymous terror.
There was the sound of blaster fire outside and a strange hum that she didn't recognize. Emalda set the listening device on the ground and shuffled forward. As the noise level grew, so did Emalda's courage. She peered out through the hangar door. She recognized the stranger who had come from the Fahren by its heavy brown robe. The dark purple lightsabre it wielded was more of a surprise.
The stranger was moving gracefully before a troop of Ekash guards. At first glance it seemed like a dance but then the guards began firing again. Emalda could feel the stranger calling on the Force. The blaster fire was easily deflected back at the guards. The lightsabre swung up repeatedly, eerily accurate. The stranger ran head on at the guards, his sudden charge taking the guards by surprise. The stranger leaped over the guards' heads, deflecting two bolts in mid-air. He landed behind them and swung into them with deadly efficiency. Pivoting to take out the last guard, the stranger finished with his back to Emalda. He was literally the last one standing.
Emalda couldn't hide a grin as she imagined Natheb's response to such a display. This was how the Force was supposed to be used, not twisted and manipulated by machinery. Emalda wished she dared to ask this stranger to teach her but she knew she was better off out of sight. While the stranger studied the carnage that he had created, Emalda studied the stranger. From the body shape she guessed it was a man, though the heavy robe made it difficult to tell. He was roughly the same size as Emalda but with a more solid build. His back was facing to her, so that only the back of his head was visible. His hair was the typical sandy-brown of the Ekash.
At that moment, the stranger turned around and looked directly at Emalda. At first, Emalda was too surprised by the stranger's face to react. It just so happened that Emalda had never seen a human with a beard. It threw her for a minute and it didn't help that the stranger's hair was the same colour as that of the Ekash. There was, however, no mistaking the humanity in those soft dark blue eyes. Emalda had never seen blue eyes before and she was entranced.
Giving herself up to the inevitable, Emalda straightened and walked proudly out into the open.
"I don't suppose you know where the city might be, do you?" he asked dryly.
He turned to leave but Emalda's instincts told her not to let him.
He was still giving her an assessing look.
The stranger raised a gentle eyebrow, "Your ship will, of course, be returned. I also give you my word that when I manage to leave this planet I will take you with me. Since the Fahren is my only way of leaving the planet, you can count on it."
THE END OF PART SIX
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Chapter Six
"You have a funny way of asking for it," snapped Leia firmly.
Georeb looked genuinely regretful and hung his head. He bit his lip in indecision.
"We're just doing what we think is best..." he tried to explain.
"You'll have to explain to me how is kidnapping is the best way to accomplish anything," Leia interrupted him acidly.
"You've brought it on yourselves," said Georeb, becoming calmer. "We see it every day. The New Republic expands into more territory, every day more independent systems are swallowed by it. We're just protecting our homeworld, we have no other choice."
Georeb smiled sadly at her, "If only that were true. I've heard the truth from Natheb."
"He's a liar..."
"Don't you think that's a bit strong?" asked a voice.
Natheb turned to face Leia, "Has Georeb explained that we need your help? Unfortunately, we didn't think you'd agree if we asked you but your cooperation is not necessary. We would have liked to have taken this slowly but a squadron of New Republic fighters are approaching the planet. Emalda has run off somewhere to sulk, so we need you to divert them for us."
"I won't call them off or allow myself to be used as a hostage," interrupted Leia icily.
Natheb smiled again, "That's not what I have in mind. Your Force ability can be used to divert those fighters and I don't need your cooperation to use it."
Anakin blinked at the suddenly empty starscape. The Ekash homeworld was gone. Over the comm he could hear the confused chatter of the New Republic fighters.
"Where'd the target go?"
"Dunno, maybe our coordinates are wrong."
"What do we do now?"
"We have no choice but to abort the mission, all ships return to Corrusant."
There was a pause before anyone answered, "If we can't see the target, we cannot engage it."
Qui-Gon's voice interrupted, strangely distorted by the comm channel, "A team of Jedi can travel to the planet and knock out the source of the illusion."
"We do," answered Qui-Gon. "In the meantime, keep your ships alert. You'll have to avoid receiving messages of any kind except those from the Jedi team. It's the only way to avoid any more compulsive messages."
"Copy that. Rogue and Wraith squadrons, prepare for total radio silence in five minutes..."
Ben was frowning at him, "You can't see the planet, Anakin?"
Anakin looked back out at the empty starscape and shook his head.
"Concentrate," said Ben patiently. "Use the Force."
"There's no need for embarrassment, young one," said Ben quietly. "It is a very powerful illusion."
Instead Ben opened another comm channel, "Qui-Gon, how exactly are we going to do this?"
It was Luke that answered, "We'll need to get close enough to the planet to land."
"Leia told me that the Ekash fleet is practically non-existent," said Luke thoughtfully. "They're xenophobic and almost never leave their homeworld."
"We don't need to worry about enemy fighters, then," Ben sighed with relief.
"No," said Luke. "But they do have ion cannons capable of taking out small spacecraft."
"Ahh," said Ben slowly. "That just might be a problem."
"Possibly," said Luke uncertainly. "But it would mean one or two less Jedi on the planet."
Ben looked at Anakin thoughtfully, "Anakin might be able to do it."
"Anakin?" asked Luke, sounding surprised. "Can he handle it?"
Anakin's mouth fell open. Had he just been insulted and praised in the same sentence?
"That's settled then," said Qui-Gon contentedly. "Anakin can fly decoy while we land. Once we're there, we need to disable the illusion and find Leia."
"Obi-Wan and I will do our best."
"Good," said Luke. "Ben, if Anakin gets a chance to land try to join up with me. One person can fly the Fahren, can't they?"
"Anakin?" asked Ben.
"He thinks so," Ben answered Luke's question.
"Very well then," said Luke. "We're set. Let's get on with it."
"...there's a ship coming in near the north tower.. so small, didn't detect it entering the atmosphere..."
"...the ion cannons can't hit it. We need aerial support..."
"...starfighter just landed to the east of the city! Send guards..."
"...X-Wing coming in low. Look out! Pull back!..."
"...I didn't copy that. Where's the X-Wing?..."
"...Someone find that X-Wing..."
"... a silver ship just took out ion cannon 15... its off our screens again.... someone find those ships!..."
"...the silver ship just took out ion cannon 28..."
"...we found the X-wing. It's been abandoned as well..."
"...all units be alert for two or more intruders on foot..."
"...Yes, sir. Will do..."
Leia swallowed and found the strength to speak, "Not... going so well... is it?"
"Only a few New Republic fighters even managed to find this planet," he said icily. "A handful of individuals won't accomplish much."
Leia smiled indulgently at him, "If you... say so."
"...intruders inside the city..."
"...look out! look out!....
"...get behind them... try and flank them..."
"Well, are you going to come out or are you just going to stand there?" asked the stranger, his tone calm and his accent strange.
"I'm going to come out," she answered defiantly.
She walked up to him and faced him squarely, extremely aware of his still glowing lightsabre. The stranger studied her curiously for a moment.
"Of course I know," answered Emalda. "Not that it's going to help you."
The stranger smiled pleasantly, "That's quite all right. I can find it by myself."
"No, that's not what I mean," said Emalda hurriedly. "I meant that an energy field would have been raised by now. You won't be able to get in."
The stranger turned back to Emalda, blue eyes fixing on her thoughtfully.
"I heard earlier that one of your ships managed to land. Perhaps they got inside the city," continued Emalda, hoping to be useful.
"Perhaps," agreed the stranger.
"I can't get you into the city or to the kidnapped Minister but I can get you to the Ambassador and the aides," said Emalda boldly.
"You can take me to Han Solo?" asked the stranger. "Why would you do that?"
Emalda's eyes hardened, "Though I would say that the chance to defeat Natheb was enough, it’s not. You get me back the Fahren and off this damn planet, I'll show you the way."
Emalda fought hard to suppress a grin of triumph, "This way, then, Stranger."
