Trial of the Spirit

[Lilla Syrin]

“Madam Senator,” the General said gently. “I think you need to realise that a de facto state of war already exists between us and their government.”

Romu looked at each of her advisors before her gaze settled on Lilla. The Jedi wished to give her some alternatives but, as their eyes met, she could see what the Senator was thinking. With a sinking feeling, Lilla watched as her eyes dulled slightly, her decision made.

“General. Proceed. Blockade the border worlds.”

Lilla closed her eyes. “That will give them no choice but to attack your fleets,” she stated.

“That is the intention,” answered the general. “We will strike quickly, subduing any resistance their outposts attempt. Then, we will use each colony world as a base of operations, allowing us to effectively fortify each system against attack. When their fleets come, we will be in a position of advantage. A series of battles across the entire front will see their defeat, and then we will be in a strong position to negotiate further reparations. If we so choose.”

The admiral spoke up once more to bring another point to the discussion. “What of the offers of support from other worlds?”

“I thought about that,” said Romu. “I’ll personally thank them. We may need their support later, and we cannot look a gift horse in the mouth. However, we cannot have them join us in the initial invasion. In the interests of stability, we cannot turn this into a galactic-wide war, however eager they are.”

The meeting broke up soon after that, and Lilla rushed back to her booth to join Nadorcot. Lilla placed a hand on her shoulder to pull her attention away from her display.

“Get me the Grand Master,” she said. “It’s starting.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

They exchanged concerned looks as Nadorcot began the communication protocols. Minutes later, the Ithorian’s face appeared on the display, replacing the facts and figures Nadorcot had been ploughing through.

“Padawan. What have you got?” Shree O’Ball looked calm but Lilla suspected he would be almost as stressed as Romu had in the meeting.

“Grand Master,” Lilla said. “The forces are moving. They are going to blockade several worlds along the border and force their fleets to engage. Other governments are pledging their support.”

Shree O’Ball looked away from the screen briefly, disappointment clearly visible on his face. “That was foreseen,” he said. “Many within this quadrant of the galaxy would like nothing better than to see their government wiped off the face of the map.”

“Grand Master. We have turned up nothing here. Nothing Romu or her people will accept.”

“Then you must keep looking. We have nothing but supposition and circumstance despite the best efforts of the Jedi who have reviewed the intelligence gathered. We desperately need something showing the house acted independently, rather than the government. Without that…” Shree O’Ball trailed off briefly before continuing. “I am going to send Jedi into the targeted systems and place them between the two fleets.”

“But that means–”

“I know…I know. This is going to end badly.” He paused, looked as if he was going to say something, then changed his mind. “Keep me informed of any developments. I imagine that when the fireworks start, you will be politely asked to leave. Do so. If it comes down to that, you will not be able to do anything else.”

“Understood, Grand Master. May the Force be with you.”

“And you.”

The display went blank, and Lilla stared at it for several long seconds before Nadorcot called up her previous work.

“We cannot give up,” she said after Lilla continued to stare at the screen.

“I don’t know, Nadorcot. I Don’t think I am the right person to be here. I cannot help thinking that if any other Jedi was here in my place…Or Badreau.”

Nadorcot shook her head firmly. “You are exactly where you need to be,” she said.

“You think so?”

“I know so. The universe works in such a way that we are all placed exactly where we need to be. These places and times are rarely easy to live through, but you can take comfort from the fact that you are not supposed to be anywhere else.”

Lilla smiled. “That’s a unique way of looking at things.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

“Okay, so if I am meant to be here and the galaxy obviously has something in store for me, what do we have so far?”

“Likely little else,” Nardacot said. “Still, attend. We know the device used to destroy the building was of alien origin, due to your work.”

“That was down to more than me,” Lilla said.

“Regardless. We have trailed the device through customs checkpoints throughout its journey. What you found is the link that pinpoints the origin of the device.”

“I’m with you so far.”

“We also know whosee ships attacked the carrier group.”

“Yes – if we believe the reports, of course.”

“I see no reason for duplicity there. At least, not yet,” she said cryptically.

“What do you mean?” Lilla asked, puzzled.

“I’ll come back to that. However, the report was too detailed to forge easily and has been verified. Let us accept it as genuine for now.”

“Okay.”

“We do not know where the device came from. That is a complete unknown. We might be tempted to decide that, at this point, it does not matter. The attack happened, and we have a link back to the people who initiated it.”

“The rogue house,” Lilla said.

“Correct. From all this, we know which race are involved. All that is missing now is the extent of the plot. Does it involve the house alone, a group of conspirators, a faction within the government, or does it go all the way up to their leader? If it is one of the last two, that means war. And it would be hard to justify a different course of action.”

“We have war now.”

“Well, not quite yet,” said Nadorcot. “Not until the fleets actually meet in battle as commanded by their respective rulers or ruling bodies. We need to pose a new question that must be answered before any action can be taken in good conscience.”

“I think we are fresh out of ideas.”

A pause lingered between them as Nadorcot looked straight into the Jedi’s eyes. Slowly her intent dawned on Lilla.

“You have something, don’t you?” she asked, with a growing smile.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

“Please do not get your hopes high,” Nadorcot said. “It is…an anomaly, perhaps nothing more.”

“Nadorcot, at this point, I’ll take anything.”

“The records of customs points are quite chaotic and took some time to work through. However, I was able to verify that the energy signature generated by the device did pass through various points on its way to its destination.”

“As you said before, we already knew that. What more is there?”

Nadorcot activated a new programme on her display, and she called up a new set of data. “Why is this section of the customs reports classified? In fact, if you have a moment, why classify any part of any customs report?”

Lilla frowned. “Umm. I don’t know. Cover a covert operation or something?”

“Maybe. Certainly to cover something.”

“I am sorry, Nadorcot, but why do you think this is important?”

“Look at the dates on these files. The classified section covers only a short time, and only exterior sweeps by service bots of ships that have not docked with the station. That perhaps means nothing by itself. But look when the section was classified.”

Lilla peered at the display, now jumbled with figures. “Yesterday?”

“And do you recognise the classification protocols that protect it?”

Lilla shook her head. “No. I’m no cryptographer.”

“Neither am I. But from what I have been able to tell, it’s from Romu’s Joint Chief of Staff’s office.”

Lilla shook her head. “No. The Joint Chiefs are all either dead or in critical condition after the Negotiator went down.”

Nadorcot turned around to face her. “Exactly.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla suddenly came to a screeching halt as the direction of Nadorcot’s thinking became clear. “Then who classified it? And why?”

“Those are two very important questions.”

Taking a step back, Lilla sat down at her own station, thinking hard. The possibilities began to swim in her mind. None seemed very wholesome, and she had a great deal of trouble believing that anyone in Romu’s office would purposefully want war.

“Can you break those protocols?” she asked.

Nadorcot took a deep breath. “I would really like to consult with our colleagues in the intelligence centre, but if we send out a communication like that, it will get intercepted. We will be thrown off this base, arrested or worse. Either way, we will be of no help to anyone.”

“We are on our own then.” Lilla smiled sadly.

“As before. However, I do have some small training in this area.”

Lilla’s smile became broader at her colleague’s typical modesty.

“Give it your best shot,” she said.

“I may trip an alert with my stumbling around,” Nadorcot warned.

“What do we have to lose?”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Shutting down the communications link to the Jedi Council, Lilla leaned back from her station, sighing. Nadorcot worked hard on the other console, with an occasional sharp but quiet intake of breath that Lilla attributed to momentary frustration.

“It seems hostilities are about to commence.”

When Nadorcot did not answer, Lilla tapped her on the shoulder. “Please tell me you have gotten somewhere. Once those first shots are fired, it could all be over.”

“Mmm, yes,” she said at first, continuing after a pause. “I have managed to get through the security protocols on those customs records. I don’t think I triggered any alarms doing so.”

“You broke them?” Lilla asked in surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Nadorcot turned to face the Jedi, blinking in surprise of her own. “I had no time to analyse the information within – thus I had nothing to tell you.”

Lilla stared at her then grinned, rubbing her brow. She could not deny it made some logical sense. The sort of argument she might use herself.

“Okay, forget that,” she said, standing up to look over the technical officer’s shoulder at the console. “What have you found? Anything we can use?”

“Perhaps. Look here,” she indicated a set of files at the fore of the screen. “The covering and classification of this record was not skilfully done. It seems as if someone has simply grabbed the data they were looking for and were not concerned if they also took anything else nearby. This made the anomaly easier to spot but, consequently, there has been more information to work through now that we have it.”

“And?” Lilla asked, waiting to hear what the diligent officer had uncovered.

“The energy signature of the device is what allowed us to track it all the way from the beginning to the end. However, it seems as if someone were covering their tracks. What we have to ask ourselves is, how did it get to that starting point in the first place?”

“That makes sense,” said Lilla. “We already know they fitted their own fuse to the device. And, however you look at it, if it is an alien weapon, it had to originate from outside their space. But we don’t know how long they had it in their possession.”

“We do now,” said Nadorcot. “Having perused the archives, a routine exterior sweep by a maintenance bot at one of the customs points picked up the signature, on a free trader. However, it did not take me long to ascertain that it never arrived where it was supposed to.”

“Did you find where exactly the ship went?”

“No,” she said. “At least not straight away. But let us make a leap of faith – look at the star charts. If the ship went off the regular jump routes, what system is close to its destination?”

Lilla peered at the star chart Nadorcot called up and saw immediately what she was getting at. “Unbelievable!” she exclaimed.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

“An interesting supposition, is it not?” Nadorcot asked rhetorically. “The scan was performed by accident. The maintenance bot was no doubt engaged in some mundane status checking of flight patterns in the vicinity of the spaceport. That does not matter. However, it picks up on the device, logs what it finds – and then those logs are classified, ensuring they cannot be used to accurately track what happened prior to the attack. It goes unnoticed for this long because everyone is concentrating on the immediate events, not what happened a little earlier.”

“Until a diligent officer starts looking into things.”

Nadorcot smiled slightly, the first hint of self-satisfaction Lilla saw in the technician. “Our analysts would have picked it up sooner than I,” she said. “But I was the only one with direct access to the records. The only one with an interest in not blaming the supposed enemy, as a whole that is.”

“So where is this ship now?”

“You will find this interesting. After a brief stop, it headed further into Republic space. It will depart in two days. It’s registered owner is still there – or rather here, on this planet.”

“Mr. Ngahr is marked as currently residing in the habitation block on the North side of the Ocean Complex.”

“The transport to the Ocean Complex is under and hour’s ride. Come on,” she said, glad of the chance for direct action. “We don’t have much time.”

“Lilla, wait,” she said, grabbing her arm to arrest her attention. “There is one more thing you should see.”

“What?”

Nadorcot tapped a control on her console and pointed at the screen. “This. Who classified the report in the first place. This person, for whatever reason, be it an intentional cover up or a bid to avoid some embarrassment, deliberately hid information that might shed light on the truth. And thus, perhaps, start a war.”

Lilla stared at the screen grimly, remembering an old Jedi saying about not trusting what your eyes tell you.

“Come on,” she said quietly. “We need solid facts, now more than ever.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Sharing the transport tube with other passengers, Lilla and Nadorcot avoided discussing the conspiracy at hand, lapsing instead into their own silent thoughts. Lilla found herself thinking of Badreau as the landscape flickered past the window at hypersonic speeds. While she could take comfort at her care in the planet’s best medical facility, the last report she saw of her condition was still labelled as critical. Though she had only known her briefly, it still pained her that a Ranger so capable could be brought down.

She had neither failed nor made a mistake. They were all in the Negotiator when the shock wave sent it spiralling out of control into the mountains around. Why had Badreau seen the worst of it and not Lilla?

Sheer bad luck. Nothing else.

Of course, there were many who had perished in the crash, but Badreau was the one who should be here now, in her place. Lilla felt that, up to now, she was muddling through events, doing what seemed right rather than what he knew was right. A subtle distinction perhaps, but she could not shake the feeling that Badreau would have found the right connections and gotten to this place quicker than she had.

The one consolation was that, away from Senator Romu and her high-ranking officers, away from the miles and miles of records that Nadorcot had been gifted enough to sift through, here was a task she could be competent at. Challenging some low-life and perhaps his even lower-life cronies to get information vital to the security of the galaxy? That was her idea of being a Jedi.

The passengers were jolted to the side as the transport decelerated sharply in its vacuum tube. Lilla looked through the windows again.

Helping Nadorcot to her feet, Lilla disembarked and, moving her swiftly through the checkpoint to the main transit avenue beyond, held up her hand to flag down one of the innumerable taxi speeders that prowled the area. Stepping inside, they gave the driver the address and sat back as they sped through the streets.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Nadorcot looked outside at the people and buildings as they accelerated down the avenue. Joining her gaze, Lilla looked at the massive metal and glass structures that towered high above them. It could almost be a city on any well-developed world. Green gardens sprang up on any spare piece of ground that was not dominated by multi-storey shopping centres, offices and homes, as much a human attempt to bend the planet to their own vision of paradise.

The journey lasted only minutes and, after paying the driver of the taxi with the credit chit issued to all Jedi, they approached the towering pale-blue habitation block. Designed to pack as many souls as possible into a tight space, the block was typical of several others and was a common home for passing travellers who needed a permanent address or those who simply could not afford to live in one of the so-called suburbs, places marked by the lack of proximity neighbours had with one another. This block had, at least, a better reputation than some of the others.

“Are we just going to knock on his door?” asked Nadorcot as they mounted the steps to the block’s main entrance.

“More or less,” Lilla said. “It’s not as if he will be expecting us.”

“You seem more confident now, Lilla.”

Lilla smiled as she opened one of the glass doors for her. “This is my department.”

Taking the lift to the second floor, they found themselves at the corner of a carpeted L-shaped corridor with the doors of many apartments leading from it. The place was spartan but clean. Lilla indicated the corridor they should follow, and they were soon outside the apartment.

“So, you just knock?” Nadorcot asked, her voice subdued.

“In my own special way,” she said. Lilla’s hand went to the key code next to the doorframe. Its security giving way to a faint violet stream of arcing power. It was a standard Jedi ability.

Lilla looked up and down the corridor before pushing the the door open with a gentle touch.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

The living area was empty, and she quickly looked across into the kitchen before sliding the bathroom door open. Nothing.

“All clear,” she whispered. “Shut the door behind you. No sense calling attention to ourselves.”

Nadorcot did as asked, gliding in to look at her surroundings curiously. She located the apartment’s computer console mounted in the wall of the living area and started to move toward it.

“Don’t,” Lilla warned. “Not unless we have to. If this guy is a pro, he might have rigged it to tell him if it was accessed – or even switched on.”

“So, what are we looking for?”

“Not sure. We’ll know it when we see it. Anything that points to what Ngahr is up to, where he might be or even if he is still on planet.”

“The records say he is still here,” Nadorcot pointed out.

“Yes, but it’s a big place. And we now know records can be tampered with.”

The smallest room of the apartment, the bathroom was ruled out as a place containing any information regarding what their target was up to, so they concentrated on the combined living area and kitchen. Minutes were spent rifling through a small bookshelf of centuries-old paper books, the contents of Ngahr’s larder and a collection of data crystals that mostly contained a selection of recent blockbuster features.

“His taste is questionable,” reported Nadorcot after going through the latter.

Lilla smiled. “Can’t say I’ve ever seen any of them.” She sighed. “I have nothing. You?”

“No. I believe the only useful information we may get is from his computer.”

“I wanted to avoid that,” said Lilla. Then something on a desk beneath the console caught her eye and she began to laugh. Nadorcot looked up in puzzlement.

“You can keep all the Ranger training, the Jedi abilities and computer know-how to access restricted files,” she grinned. Walking over to the desk, she picked up the object that had caught her attention. “Me?” he asked. “I’ll just stick with a copy of the local news!”

Nadorcot shook her head, not following her. A flimsi edition of the main newspaper was a common enough feature in any home.

“I am not understanding.”

“It’s a newsflimsi!” she exclaimed. Seeing Nadorcot’s confusion, she went on to explain. “This is today’s issue. That confirms he is still here. Not just on the planet but here, locally. Our search just narrowed considerably.”

“So…we wait for him?” Nadorcot asked.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Sealing the door of the apartment behind her, Lilla led Nadorcot out of the habitation block and onto the streets. Here, at least, was something that no-one but she could do. Perhaps the universe did conspire to put people where they were supposed to be, she mused. Something she would meditate on later.

For ten minutes, they moved along the sidewalks.

They had walked to the outskirts of the main spaceport of the area, a sprawling affair that encompassed far more than just the landing area and the passenger terminal. A whole medley of businesses, shops and hotels sprang up to catch the immediate trade of visitors just entering the vicinity. And these places tended to get less shiny and pristine the further one moved away from the spaceport. Here, entire avenues were filled with nightclubs, bars and other less wholesome establishments, a garish area of neon and perpetually drunken revellers, some of whom made these places the whole point of entire vacations.

“You think we will find him…here?” asked Nadorcot, a little concern in her voice.

“Maybe, maybe not. But I know the araa – or rather the sort of area. Every planet has them. As does every city and district.”

Lilla soon found what she was looking for, and he walked across the avenue, leading Nadorcot to a small bar whose neon sign proclaimed it as the Blue Rodian. Like most other bars of the area, the interior lighting remained at a level suggesting early evening, a common ploy to give drinkers the feeling that their night had just begun, no matter the current time. Rapidly acclimating her eyes to the gloom, Lilla walked to the bar without any hesitation. Just another traveller looking for a drink to fuel her before tackling one of the more expensive clubs.

As she waited for the bartender’s attention, she became aware of the eyes of many patrons upon her. Jedi robes tended to do that.

The bartender, a balding, middle-aged man, looked the Jedi up and down with some surprise. “Good day,” he said cautiously, assuming Lilla was not after a simple drink.

“Hi!” Lilla said with a smile.

“Jedi business, is it?” the bartender asked.

Lilla’s smile dropped a little, expecting resistance. “Something like that.”

“Well, I am afraid you are out of luck, friend. Nothing happens here worthy of Jedi interest.”

“Oh? I am sorry to hear that,” Lilla said. She pulled the Force to her and gently exuded the right persuasion.

“Lots of things said about you Jedi-types. Hear them. Everyday. Everyone seems to have their own thoughts on what you are really up to.” He looked Lilla up and down once more, as if weighing just what to think of the Jedi. If he thought Nadorcot’s presence seemed strange, he did not show it.

“Seems to me that you guys are okay. I can see my way clear to helping where I can. You know, doing my bit for the galaxy and all that.”

“That is appreciated. We are looking for a man called Ngahr.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Even though Lilla had lowered her voice and leaned forward a little, the bartender gave her a sharp look of alarm and nodded his head to the empty end of the bar. Going through the motions of serving Lilla some random cocktail, he raised an eyebrow as he spoke quietly.

“What business have you Jedi got with a man like that?” he asked. “Not being nosy mind, I just thought you concentrated more on, you know, the big stuff. Wars and the like.”

“We need to talk to him – his name came up in our investigations. What do you know of him?” Lilla asked.

“Nasty type. A trader by name, he began as a thief. Grown up now though, and he finally figured more credits were made buying and selling stolen goods than risking his neck trying to steal them. That kind of trader, if you take my meaning.”

Lilla nodded. “That fits.”

“He has a set of warehouses in the spaceport, just a mile or so from here. He stays away from the hot stuff, which means the law here more or less ignores him. They have bigger fish to fry. But everyone round here knows where to go for knocked off goods at half the usual price. Trouble is, I keep hearing he is getting into larger things – espionage for corporations, acting as a middle man for contract killings, that kind of thing.”

“The police are not interested in stopping that?”

“Things are still in a flux here. No-one is sure where their jurisdiction starts and stops. Just the kind of place where people like Ngahr thrive, especially if they have a legitimate trading business to hide behind. He has built himself up with the small-time stuff and now fancies a chance at the big score, I reckon.” The bartender finished playing with cocktail bottles and placed a glass in front of Lilla, filled to the brim with a noxious smelling orange liquid. Lilla wrinkled her nose as she pretended to drink.

“Any of this useful to you?” the bartender asked.

“I think so,” said Lilla. “Can you give us directions to his warehouse?”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

The warehouses surrounding the spaceport were a perpetual hive of activity. Small one-man loaders sped around beneath huge haulers, either stacking them with goods destined for far star systems or unloading necessities and luxuries for the local citizens.

The small complex of warehouses where the bartender directed Lilla was typical of its neighbours. Hastily constructed grey pre-fabricated structures formed the basis of the storage areas, with a tiny office centre literally bolted onto the side of one of the warehouses. No security was evident on the perimeter of the complex, allowing Lilla and Nadorcot to enter unchallenged. Lilla presumed enough traders and other customers frequented Ngahr’s warehouses that even their out-of-place appearance did not arouse suspicions.

If any of the workers struggling with the endless supply of transport crates even bothered to give them a second look, they would presume the two robed figures were eccentrics, looking for another fix to relieve their lives of endless boredom. More likely, they just did not care, working long hours for few credits.

This apathy enabled Lilla and Nadorcot to walk straight through the complex and, without breaking her stride, Lilla vaulted up the metal frame stairs that led up to offices. Gesturing at Nadorcot to remain a few paces back, Lilla entered the door at the top of the stairs first.

Inside the reception area were two men. One sat quietly. His ridged face squinted slightly, then his eyes opened in alarm as he saw the Jedi robes. Behind the counter, a burly dark-haired man quickly reached down, coming up with a small blaster.

Lilla’s hand raised and the blaster was pulled by the Force, from the man’s grip, before he could squeeze off a shot. The man yelped and looked at his blaster as it skittered across the floor.

“None of that,” said Lilla. “I am here for Ngahr.”

The man spat and ran through a door behind him. The other, witnessing what had happened, began to gibber in fear and raised his hands, eyes pleading with Lilla not to hurt him.

“I suggest you leave,” Lilla said. “Quickly. You have no good business here.”

The mani bolted for the door, nearly knocking over Nadorcot as she entered.

“Making friends already, I see,” she said.

“Stay alert, they’re armed,” Lilla said as he crossed to the far door. Opening it a crack, she saw a dozen office workers look around in concern, obviously confused at the receptionist running through their work area, cursing as he went. Seeing no immediate danger, Lilla entered.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

“Where is Ngahr?” she demanded of a young girl who shrank behind her desk. Keeping everyone else in her peripheral vision, Lilla noticed all were shocked at her entrance. She deemed none an immediate threat, allowing her to concentrate on questioning the girl.

The girl stammered in front of her, unable to speak, but a glance at the door opposite the one Lilla entered by confirmed her suspicions.

“Okay, everyone leave,” she said. “Work’s over for today.”

Having no illusions as to the kind of company their boss kept, the office workers dutifully gathered their possessions and rushed out, none meeting Lilla’s gaze as they left. Satisfied any innocents were removed from danger, Lilla crossed to the door the girl had indicated and opened it a crack.

She immediately sprang back as a blaster shot made a hole in the door. Glancing back to ensure Nadorcot was not in the line of fire, Lilla mentally prepared herself before shoving the door open and diving inside. Blaster fire sang above her head as she rolled.

Instinctively, she swung out with her now activated saber, connecting with the lower arm of an assailant who hit the floor with a loud thump and a cry of pain. Lilla noted the dark-haired man she encountered previously was taking cover behind a desk, another blaster cradled in his good hand tracking the Jedi’s movements. Another super-heated blast of plasma tore past Lilla as she twisted away from the shot, singeing the robes beneath her left arm.

With a single fluid motion, Lilla crossed the distance between them and heaved the desk upwards with one hand. As the man began to stagger backwards, Lilla placed a booted foot on the underside of the desk, driving it backwards into the attacker’s chest. Completing the manoeuvre, Lilla leapt up and placed her full weight on the upturned desk, pinning the man. A sharp and well-practised tap of the heel of her hand to the man’s head made sure he would remain unconscious for at least an hour with no permanent harm.

A noise behind her triggered Lilla’s instincts once more and she rolled to the side as more blaster fire pierced the air above. Noting only that a third man had appeared at the entrance of what seemed to be a smaller office, Lilla swept her arm and released her saber hilt so it flew straight and true into the stomach of her assailant. The well-dressed man fell to his knees, releasing his blaster as he struggled to find his breath. Seeing no other threat, Lilla crossed the office to retrieve her saber, then grabbed the man by the collar of his suit and peered into the small office to ensure no other surprises lurked there.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

“Impressive,” said Nadorcot as she entered the room.

Lilla did not look back as she answered. “Well, I have had some training.”

A click of a blaster being primed caused her to whirl round. She saw another thug behind Nadorcot, pointing his weapon at the back of her head. Lilla belatedly realised that allowing the office workers to leave so hastily might well have drawn some unwanted attention.

“Okay, drop the weapon,” said the man, gesturing with his pistol. “It’s over now.”

Feeling foolish for having gotten this far before making such an obvious error, Lilla looked at Nadorcot and smiled. Lilla slowly put her saber on the floor, but as she stood, she extended her left hand and the miscreant was thrown back, against the far wall. Before he made contact, Lilla’s saber was clipped to her belt.

Nardacot stared at Lilla with incredulity. She returned the look with an innocent smile.

Lilla looked down at the gasping man at his feet. “You Ngahr?” she asked.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

To his credit, the man refused to answer, but a quick glance up at the sound of his name confirmed the question for Lilla.

“There are some things I need you to tell me,” said Lilla, almost conversationally as he hoisted the man to his feet.

“I’ll tell you spit!” said Ngahr.

“We really don’t have time for this.” Lilla said, glancing at Nadorcot, winking subtly, so the man would not see. “I must do something,” she said softly. “I would be happier if you did not see.”

Nadorcot nodded. “I understand and I will make sure you are undisturbed.”

As Nadorcot went to exit the room, the man’s tongue immediately became looser.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

With the information they worked so hard to uncover, Lilla and Nadorcot returned by the same transport tube they had used to leave. This time, the journey was an anxious one for Lilla, as she now had all the pieces of the puzzle in her grasp but dared not risk using an unsecured channel to contact Shree O’Ball with her report.

A mixture of emotions swirled within her. Elation at coming this far. But there was darkness too, mixing itself insidiously into her excitement. She’d seen too many die and had to inflict pain and suffering of her own too.

The security checkpoint cleared them quickly, which gave Lilla some hope. She expected their trip to draw some suspicion by more than a few officers within the communications hub, but she averted her eyes from the stares of anyone who saw them go back to their small booth. Too much rested on success to risk any intervention, and she felt more than a little unprotected when she realised that Romu was no longer present, apparently dealing with her crisis workload in another section of the centre.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla immediately went to work on the communication link, engaging the Jedi security protocols as she flagged its attention for Grand Master Shree O’Ball. By now, she assumed all her communications were being routinely monitored, but the protocols used by the Jedi were a mutating code whose cipher was jealously guarded and regularly updated. Lilla hoped they would buy her enough time to get her message to the Grand Master and receive instructions. Still, she felt someone watching every move she and Nadorcot made, and she fought the impulse to turn around and scan the communications hub for likely suspects.

Minutes later, Shree O’Ball’s kindkly face appeared on the display. “Padawan Lilla,” he said. “What do you have?”

“We have it,” said Lilla. And she quickly relayed the progress of her investigation, from the process of filtering the files to the apprehension and confession of Ngahr.

“Is that enough?” Lilla asked.

“It’s enough for reasonable doubt,” said Shree O’Ball, the relief evident in his voice. “Now we just have to convince everyone of its veracity. We will broadcast your information to both fleets. If nothing else, that should get them to hold fire for a while. What you must do is convince Romu. Everything rides on this, Lilla, since only she can pull back her ships. Tell her we have convincing evidence that must be confirmed before she can go to war. Tell her that if further investigations prove false, the whole of the Republic will no doubt stand by any action she decides.”

“I will, Grand Master,” said Lilla. “What of the conspiracy we have uncovered?”

“Watch your back,” said Shree O’Ball. “We have no jurisdiction. It is for Romu alone to adjudicate. Talk to her now – let’s try to halt a war.”

Shree O’Ball signed off and Lilla stood up, about to tell Nadorcot to follow her. Instead, she found herself staring into the hawkish face of the admiral. Her tone was laced with dire threat.

“Been busy, haven’t you?” she asked.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

“Admiral,” Lilla sighed, noting the uniforms of the two troopers standing behind her. “I really don’t have time for this.”

“Some incidents have come to my attention regarding your use of computer operations during your investigation here,” she said, without missing a beat. “You will be taken into custody, pending further investigation of your actions.”

“What?” Lilla was incredulous. She expected trouble, but this approach put her on the back foot.

“Take her away,” said the admiral, motioning to the two soldiers. They stepped forward to grasp Lilla, but she stepped back and placed a finger on the chest of one.

“By the terms of the Treaty of Galactic Jedi Allies and Peacekeepers, I have full diplomatic immunity, and incarceration of my person brings penalties to your government up to, and including, expulsion from the Republic and potential sanctions from the rest of the galaxy.” That checked their approach. Lilla had absolutely no idea where those words came from. Not from Jedi or Ranger training. More likely her time fast-talking back at Tatooine, or most likely at the hands of the governess, where they were taught to invent treaties on the fly, given nobody was an expert on every one.

The noise level of the communication hub beyond the booth suddenly picked up noticeably, and they all turned to see Senator Romu enter, surrounded by her usual flock of asides and officers. The admiral whirled round to the soldiers.

“Get them out of here, now - that’s an order!” she hissed.

Lilla decided on a more direct approach. “Madam Senator!” she called, with a volume unusual enough that all eyes in the hub turned towards her.

Suddenly feeling too conspicuous, the admiral spoke hurriedly. “Madam Senator, we have just uncovered a potential plot on the part of the Republic to hinder our war effort, providing them with critical information of fleet dispositions. I believe these Jedi are directly responsible for the loss of our task force. I want them apprehended.” The admiral directed the last part to the soldiers once more, and Lilla could see them wavering, their eyes on Romu, waiting to see what their Senator would order.

With the attention of the entire hub, Lilla decided to plough forward. “Madam Senator, I believe we have uncovered the information we sought, explaining who was actually responsible for the bombing and the attack on your ships.”

“More lies,” said the Admiral, beginning to regain control of herself. “Madam Senator, we have sensitive operations here. We can interrogate these Rangers later to verify the veracity of their claims.”

The general stepped up to Romu’s side, a puzzled expression on his face. “Admiral, what is going on here?”

“General, I have information you must hear,” Lilla stepped in but was cut off by the admiral.

“They are too dangerous to keep here!”

“Admiral, stand down!” said Romu, her voice cutting through the hub and silencing everyone instantly. “These are duly appointed representatives of the Republic and one is a member of the Jedi Order, with full ambassadorial status. Of course we will hear what they have to say. And whatever they may or may not have done, we cannot arrest them.”

Lilla breathed a sigh of relief, although was taken aback by the level of support offered. “Thank you, Madam Senator.”

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Motioning Lilla to a seat opposite her, Romu sat down, her attention focussed solely on the Jedi. Lilla felt the weight of a dozen stares but, having come this far, pushed it out of her mind. She beckoned Nadorcot to join her as she sat down and began to relate what they found.

“Madam Senator, we have documented everything, and I assure you it will stand up to scrutiny,” Lilla said. “But we have very little time, so I must ask you to trust me.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw the admiral back slowly away from the group and turn to leave the hub. Lilla waited until she left before starting again. “But first, please give me your assurances that the admiral will not be permitted to leave this centre.”

“You want me to take her into custody?” asked Romu with amazement.

“Not until you hear what I have to say. What happens then is in your jurisdiction, naturally Senator.”

“I’ll see to it,” said the general, tapping instructions into a datapad that would see the admiral detained.

“I am not sure I like where this is heading, Jedi,” said Romu. Lilla noted the use of the affiliation to the Order, as opposed to her name, but pressed on regardless.

“Madam Senator, we uncovered a report from your own files that had been classified – by the admiral, using her newly gained authorisation as a Joint Chief following the destruction of the Negotiator.” Lilla noticed the eyebrows of the general rise, though whether that was in surprise or disbelief, she could not tell.

“That report showed the bomb had been through many places before it started its well-documented journey. One that everyone is using as a key piece of evidence of guilt’”

“It is common sense to think the weapon started outside of the Republic,” said Romu. “But that does not prove a conspiracy.”

“True. However, from this report, we were able to track the fence who handled the sale of the device. He bought it from an prospector and then sold it on. However, it was not a sale to any government but a single House. He confirmed that he flew the device himself straight to a site where it was amended to be the bomb it became.”

Romu and the officers surrounding them regarded Lilla impassively, and she worried that, in the light of day, this evidence did not seem so convincing after all.