Satele calmly approaches the table and puts her hands behind her back. "I know that Taris has been promised to the Twi'leks. We have no intention of taking this world from your colonization efforts. However, I won't lie to you. Taris holds certain properties that could be new energy sources. That's why the empire is here in the first place. The republic is hoping you will allow us to lend aid." Satele sounds like a true diplomat. Now I see why she works with the chancellor directly.
Dariba approaches the table and leans against it with her hands. "The Twi'leks need this world Jedi... The republic and empire have no business here. I still have one good eye, though. The threat of the empire is real, and they will treat us much worse than the Republic ever did. So I'm going to make you an offer." Whatever it is, I'm guessing it has to do with going into a difficult place, defying the odds, and retrieving something. The Twi'leks wouldn't send their own on impossible missions.
Satele nods her head for Dariba to continue, and she takes a breath. "There is something we need from an old science center. It's a very important medicine that our people need while we colonize Taris. If you can retrieve it, we will accept the republics' help." The man next to her is about to protest, but she gives him a stern look, and he shuts up. "It isn't as simple as it seems, though. If it were, we would already have it. The science center is filled with rakghouls. It's some sort of breeding ground." Rakghouls huh... From what I learned at the temple, people are turned into monsters by a dangerous disease.
The medication they need must be related to the rakghouls. The fact that it's in a science center gives an inkling of what it is. "May we know what we are looking for." Satele is doing a good job digging for more information.
Dariba looks at her and resigns silently. She takes a datapad out of her pocket and tosses it to Satele. "It's a vaccine for the rakghoul virus. If we can mass-produce this vaccine, we can fight the rakghouls head-on without worrying about being turned. It's not as good as a full-out cure, but with it, we can take care of the rakghoul problem." An actual vaccine for the rakghoul virus is amazing. Anyone with a vaccine injection won't have to worry about turning after being bitten or exposed.
Satele hands me the datapad, and I also read the information. Dariba did a pretty good job explaining, but the real information is here. There is medical data about the vaccine's trials and how it is produced. The only thing missing is the chemical formula to finish it. They probably already tried to produce it again, but they wouldn't succeed without the formula. A sample of a completed vaccine will fix this problem.
I put the datapad on the table and listen to the silence. "We'll do this for you. I hope to have your full cooperation once we are done with this mission." Satele gives her answer, and Dariba gives a look of relief. The twi'lek male by her side gives a bitter and angry look. The ones scorned the worst will never accept our help. Dariba is different because she can see the bigger picture. "Give me the location of the science center, and we'll leave now." Dariba walks over to a console and inputs commands. A little Datacard pops out, and she hands it to Satele.
Rakghouls won't be as dangerous as a sith, but they can kill anyone in swarms. "That card holds the access codes for the center. The science center is on the northern edge of the city on a hill. It sticks out, so you'll see it when it comes into view." Satele gives a slight bow, and I follow suit. We turn and leave the command room.
We make our way out of the building and start making our way north on foot. "Do you think we can trust them, Master? I wouldn't say they are welcomed to the idea of helping us help them. I don't like the feeling I'm getting from any of this..." I am specifically worried about the male twi'lek beside Dariba. He has hate and malice rare non sith have.
She looks at me and nods her head yes. "We can trust Dariba, but her subordinates are another story. You are right to be worried about that male beside her. Be ready for anything once we retrieve the vaccine." Satele has the same thoughts I do about the dangers that could be lingering in the future. Satele begins to run, and I do as well.
We eventually make it to the city's northern edge, and the science center sticks out just like Dariba said. We approach the front entrance, and Satele inserts the card, and the door opens. We both get a huge whiff of rotten flesh and decomposing bodies. I nearly gag, and Satele covers her mouth and nose. "What the kriff happened in here..." I look around as I say that, and there are countless old and new bodies of Twi'leks. Many have tried coming here and getting the vaccine, it seems.
The bodies look like they have been chewed on recently. We start walking down the only hall available, and I un-clip my lightsaber just to be safe. We walk down this long hall for a whole two minutes, and we make it to a giant room. We immediately see rakghouls sleeping in the large nest they made. Satele draws her lightsaber as well. I look beyond the large number of rakghouls and see a green container in the center of the room. It's filled with a liquid and has been there for a long time.
Satele ignites her lightsaber, and so do I. The rakghouls begin to wake up at the noise. I use the pommel on my lightsaber and put it at full power. My yellow blade gets hotter, and it soothes me a little. "Be ready, Nate. They are going to swarm us fast." I nod my head, and they all jump up at the sound of Master's voice. Many of them charge forward and lunge at us. I throw out my hand and hit them with a force blast. Its force push with a bunch more power. They hit the wall with sickening cracks and hit the ground dead.
More swarm, and both Satele and I begin to dismember and decapitate many over and over. I'm using the explosive and athletic moves of Ataru to dodge many strikes from different rakghouls. Satele cuts many down since she has a double-bladed lightsaber. I lift the remaining 8 rakghouls with the force, and they get brutally crushed in my grip. I land and see all the rakghouls are dead.
I deactivate my lightsaber and attach it to my belt. I look to Satele, and she gives me a worried look. "What, Master?" She walks up to me and puts her hand on my shoulder.
She takes a small breath and opens her mouth. "Where did you learn force crush? That isn't taught to the younglings." I look down and try to avoid eye contact. In my training of my telekinetic abilities, I learned that I could do many obscure and difficult force techniques. The order even forbids some.
I look back up to Satele, and she is waiting. "When I was training my telekinesis abilities in my free time, I learned I could do many things that other younglings or Jedi can't. Some of them are even forbidden..." She puts her hand on my head and gives me an understanding look.
She steps back and crosses her arms. "What abilities did you find out you can do?" She wants to know what she should forbid me from using or not. I can feel her gentle touch on my mind making sure I don't lie.
I take a breath and begin to list off what I learned I could do. "As you saw, I could use force crush. I can also use force grip and force wave..." She looks at me in extreme concern when I say I know how to perform force wave. She looks at me to continue. "I know how to do force throw and force repulse as well..." She looks at me and knows I haven't told her everything. "The ones on the darker side are force kill and electric judgment..." Satele puts her hand on her head.
I haven't told her everything, and she knows that. "That's enough for now, Nate. How proficient are you in the techniques you have told me about?" I can do them all very well. Even though I want to learn and be a saber fighter, my true talent lies in my force abilities. As soon as I learn about one and practice it a few times, it comes like second nature. I don't know why, though.
I look down again and try to word this the best way possible. "I can use them all at a great level... While I love saber fighting and prefer to learn that my force powers are my real talent... It's so easy for me to learn and improve techniques... I'm sorry I didn't tell anyone..." She looks at me in suspicion. In truth, there is one who knows about my aptitude in learning force powers. Caleb found me practicing and trying out the techniques others struggle their lives to learn.
He made me promise never to let my power control me and to exercise caution when learning new things. "I can sense that you are hiding another important ability, Nate... The others I sense you haven't told me don't worry you except this one... What is it?" She is feeling my emotions and what I'm hiding.
I have an ability that lets me see the most vulnerable parts of things. I can target it with the force and shatter it. Caleb called it shatterpoint and told me never to use it on allies. "Master Caleb warned me about one ability I have. It's called shatterpoint." Satele gives the first mad expression I've seen her have.
She turns around and mumbles something that I can barely hear. "Why would Caleb hide such things from us before he left..." Now I'm really confused. Satele feels it and turns around to me. "You need to know something, Nate... Caleb left the order a while ago... He didn't give a reason... He told the council, and we haven't heard from him since..." So that's why he wasn't around in the final days before I became a padawan. He left the order...
So Caleb has left the Jedi order. I wonder why he did it? He never indicated that he was unhappy or dissatisfied with anything, and he seems pretty happy about everything. Maybe it's the war. The Jedi do take a passive sort of role. We only act if the imperials attack anything. We don't actually wage any wars. The reason the sith has gained such an upper hand is because of this passiveness. Launching attacks isn't without its repercussions either.
I'm sure the Senate would throw a fit if the Jedi just did whatever they wanted willy nilly. "Nate, I don't want you using any of the advanced force powers you have unless the situation calls for it. It could attract a lot of attention and cause more harm for our missions than good. I'll be increasing the intensity of your saber training, so you won't have to use your advanced force powers." I nod my head yes in excitement. I prefer saber combat over force combat.
I can't say why. It just seems more me. Even with my talents in the force, I desire to get stronger with my saber. "Okay, Master, I won't use my advanced force powers if necessary. Now let's get that vaccine. Should we extract any of the information on the servers here? It could prove useful to the Twi'leks." She nods her head, and I start stepping over bodies making my way to the data console. Satele walks over and grabs the vaccine vile, and joins me. "The data on these servers is partially corrupt. The research and formula are intact, though." I extract the information, and a little data card pops out.
I take it and put it on my belt. I look back to master now that all we have to do is bring what we found back to Dariba. "Let's go, Nate. I sense danger up ahead, though. I'm guessing some angry Twi'leks are going to intercept our mission. Let's try an reason with them before we resort to violence." I nod my head and follow her down the single hall and out of the building. It's so nice to get out of that horrible stench and back to the relatively fresh air of Taris.
We take a few steps out of the compound, and a bunch of Twi'leks pop out of nowhere. The same guy that was by Dariba is leading the entourage. "Hand us the vaccine Jedi. I'll make your deaths quick if you do." Satele is about to speak, but we both feel a very dark presence. It's full of anger and hate. I listen to heavy boots approach from around the corner and two men walk out. They are both wearing armor and have lightsabers on their belts.
These are sith, a Master, and an apprentice. They are both really powerful in the force. They also hold ancient looks in their eyes. "Twi'lek. Do not fire upon them yet. I wish to speak to one of them." The voice is deep and old. They come into full view, and both are members of the sith species. "I am honored to meet the Grandmaster of the Jedi order. Sorry about my associates. They are desperate to get out from under the republic and Dariba." Satele puts her hands behind her back and gives an authoritative look.
The sith stop walking and halt in front of the Twi'leks. "What does the sith want with a useless vaccine. It's too old to have anything useful in it." Satele begins to bluff about the vaccine. Probably trying to dissuade any combat. I see the angry looks on some of the Twi'leks faces.
They must be doing this because the empire promised them something. The Twi'lek leader even looks worried now. He didn't consider all the possibilities. "Who said we are here for the vaccine..." As the Master speaks, his eyes drift towards me. Satele immediately un-clips her lightsaber and ignites it. "So quick to defend your padawan Grandmaster... I can feel his power. It's incredible. How did you ever manage to find him..." I take my lightsaber off my belt and ignite it too.
The sith still makes no move. In a flash, he raises his hands and shoots lightning. Not at us, however. He proceeds to kill all the Twi'leks, and now we are left alone with the sith. "I should introduce myself. I'm servant one of the emperor's hand. This is my brother, servant nine. We have orders from the emperor to see how young Nate is developing." I get rigid as I hear those words. Not much is know about the emperor's hand, only that they take orders from the emperor himself.
I'm not ready to fight such a powerful sith. They outmatch me in both experience and knowledge. "I'm not going to let you have him, sith. The emperor will have to come out of hiding himself if he wants to get to Nathan." Satele is trying her best to get us out of this situation. She knows I'm not ready for a sith and is trying to buy us time so she can come up with another plan. The sith known as servant one looks at me.
I don't know why, but it's like he is seeing everything about me. "Sooner or later, Nate. You will be the emperor's apprentice. It's your destiny. Come with us, and you will know power unlike anything before." My Master has had enough. She stands in front of me, blocking their view of me. Neither of them draw their lightsabers, though. "We are not here to fight you, Grandmaster Satele. We are only here to tell you the emperor has reach beyond your imagination. Nathan cannot hide from his gaze, and he has always been watching." After those words leave his mouth, he turns around and leaves.
They disappear into the swamps of Taris, and I can no longer sense them. "Master..." She deactivates her lightsaber and puts it back on her belt. She turns to me and puts both her hands on my shoulders.
She gives me a very serious look. "I won't let anything bad happen to you, Nate. Even if the emperor himself has his eyes on you, I'll not let you be taken. I promise." She lets me go and turns her head south. "Let's get back to Dariba. Now that we have taken care of our end of the bargain, it's time for her to keep hers." We both proceed to use force speed and get back to the building they are staying in as fast as possible. We notice that many more Twi'leks are now dead or injured.
We ascend the stairs and make it to the command room. We see a distraught-looking Dariba. This entire place suffered another attack by the imperials. "I know you are here, Jedi... Leave what you found, and I'll send word to the republic you have permission to land on Taris. I never want to see your faces around here again." I take the data chip out of my pocket and place it on the table. Some Twi'lek scientists come and take the vaccine from Satele.
We both give a slight bow with her back turned to us, and we leave. We make it outside and proceed east back to the republic outpost. We make it and hop back on some speeders and head back to HQ here on Taris. "Why does the emperor have his sights set on me, Master!" I yell to her as she is ahead of me on her speeder.
She slows down and rides beside me. "You are more special than you realize, Nate. Even with your extraordinary gifts, you still have so much room to grow. Your potential for strength is the highest ever seen in the history of the Jedi and sith. That's why the emperor wants you." I think about the most important people to me, and I can't help worrying about my mom and dad. If he knows about me, then he knows about them too.
We ride in silence all the way to HQ. We get off our speeders and walk up the ramp into the base. We tell the captain what happened, and now the republic has official permission to occupy Taris. She says her thanks, and we get back in Sateles ship. We leave the planet and get into hyperspace. "We are going back to the Republic fleet. We'll have a new mission in about two weeks. Until then, we will focus on nothing but your training." I nod my head and watch the blue lights of hyperspace pass by. More training is good, in my opinion, but now I'm worried about how the emperor is watching me.
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