บท 40: ED : Chapter 38: Convenient Timing I
While the chief of emergency services for the capitol city of Lutris reported as to the current extent of the stone mite infestation throughout the Government Building's superstructure, Director Razelfiin visibly fumed as she stormed angrily up and down the corridor.
Her actions forcing the harried male to hurry along beside her, as her long thick tail swished furiously from side to side.
Coming to a stop so suddenly the man beside her stumbled trying to stop short, the lottery-selected leader of the planet exploded into a tirade as sudden as it was vicious and exasperated.
"We, I opened our home to the Republic's quarreling factions in the name of peace, but how are we repaid for our commitment to civic virtue? With an obvious act of terrorism! What did the Republic do to stop this? Where are our Jedi? That's-"
Given the importance and magnitude of the summit going on in the Tynna Government Building's main receiving-hall, Razelfiin had come running when word that a small portion of the outer wall connected to a corridor only three passageways south of the receiving-hall had begun to collapse.
The minute by minute reports had been slow in reaching her office due to the capitol building's still-ongoing comm blackout, and the demand upon the lifts by the various sprayer-teams.
Leaving her question as to whether or not the oxidizing foam the emergency services and maintenance teams were spraying was capable of stopping the spread of the mites unanswered.
The preliminary briefing by the emergency services chief had concisely conveyed the necessity of a multi-floor cordon free of stone mites. Otherwise, she would have to break up the Reconciliation Summit by announcing the beginning of an emergency evacuation.
The reports she'd received so far indicated that as yet, no load-bearing supports lacking redundant coverage had been compromised, but that wouldn't matter if the mites spread to the very walls presently inhabited by planetary representatives from across the galaxy.
The loss of face if even cosmetic elements of the Summit's immediate area became affected would be something Tynna would spend decades recovering from.
All of this meant the tirade which stopped her storming about like a furious madwoman had brought Razelfiin, one stressed and anxious chief of emergency services, plus (standing at the ready a discreet five or six meters back) her eight-strong squad of heavily armed Protective Service agents all to a halt directly in front of the main ground-floor pneumatic lift to the lower levels of the capitol building.
It had been the very loud DING-DING-DING which announced the engaging of the lift's emergency floor call-bypass function that had interrupted the outraged politician's rant.
While her protection-detail suddenly crowded forward to interpose themselves between the planetary leader and any danger which might try to disembark from the lift, Razelfiin's whiskers twitched curiously as she tried to get a glimpse of what was happening through a gap in her guards.
The lift's doors opened to reveal a filthy, bleeding human male in the tunic and robes of a Jedi.
The long and presently tatty braid down the side of his head denoting his rank as an apprentice, but his bearing despite the ragged appearance screaming "dangerous" to the trained security officers.
In the Jedi's arms was a deathly pale human woman not much older than he was, and also wearing the garb of a Jedi.
One of her arms was obviously missing, with it's stump having been hastily bandaged, and there was a vicious gash as much burn as laceration traversing most of her left leg.
This too had been crudely bandaged, but any onlooker could tell at a glance the extent of the injury went far beyond the treatment as yet provided. That the female Jedi's life hung by a fraying thread was obvious to the trained Tynnan soldiers.
Veterans who also noticed the numerous contusions and the puddle of blood still growing beneath the male Jedi's now-bare right foot, but such details escaped the Director from her obscured vantage.
Until the young Jedi snapped "Knight Swan needs medical attention now!"
Credit where it was due, the most senior of the Director's guards instantly clicked his fore and thumb-claws together twice.
Prompting a younger-looking, slightly shorter Tynnan male wearing a bulky pack over his otherwise simply fur-covered body to rush forward and offer a corded telephone like speaking implement to the graying-furred chief of the protection detail.
Snatching the implement, he snapped a short series of what were obviously code-phrases followed by floor and position coordinates to whoever was on the other end of the device, then tossed it back to the communications-gear equipped subordinate and addressed the Jedi respectfully.
"Emergency services are en route, Jedi. Please, follow my men. They'll take you to the lift where the medics will be coming down from above. You can get your own wounds seen to, as well."
Waiting for the protection-detail to make a hole so he could exit the lift and get moving. The dirty and bleeding Jedi ignored the security officer's suggestion about his seeking medical attention himself.
Instead, he answered Director Razelfiin as if the two of them had been in the middle of a conversation others had interrupted.
"You asked where the Jedi were, Director. It's a fair question, so it deserves a fair answer. Jedi Knight Nacanas Tassu was just killed in the line of duty. Protecting Tynnan sovereignty, as he and Knight Swan fought side by side with sixteen of your fearless Tynnan patriots.
All of whom took on a Sith Assassin, her two Dark Side Adept minions, and at least six droids designed to kill Jedi. Jedi Knight Bultar Swan, as you can see, may yet die in the line of duty doing the same.
I honestly can't tell you if Master Yaddle is alive or dead. She insisted on continuing with her efforts to combat the spread of the stone mites despite my having to leave to see to Knight Swan.
This despite the continued presence of said Sith assassin and an unknown surviving number of Jedi-killer droids. That's where we were, Director Razelfiin. Fighting and dying to protect the people of Tynna. Doing our duty to the Republic" Anakin proclaimed in a flat, deadly serious tone.
Striding between the now-parting detail, and followed by a hulking droid carrying an inoperative droid of the same make in a fireman's carry. A menacing looking implement in the construct's other hand.
The politician and her guards watched the young Jedi go with their mouths agape. He was vanishing around the corner with his burden and strange entourage by the time Razelfiin recovered from her stunned surprise.
The young Jedi had answered her angry questions as if he'd been standing opposite her when they'd been uttered, and not confined to a lift multiple floors away at the time.
Dread coiled in the young politician's guts, as she was suddenly given good reason to wonder if it was possible the Jedi also knew about her secret hyper-comm conversations with Sora Bulq.
It slowly began to dawn on the neophyte world leader that if any of the rumors floating around about the Jedi these days were true, it might well be a (unofficial, of course) death sentence to have permitted Jedi to die while presenting your planet as a loyal member of the Republic.
Only to lead a defection to the Coalition of Independent Systems the moment this hopeless summit concluded, and the surviving Jedi left her world with the politicians.
Despite being quite young by her people's standards, Razelfiin was quite intelligent. More than smart enough to realize it was quite possible she'd been hasty in making certain decisions.
"Bulq just seemed so charismatic, so utterly persuasive each time we spoke about the possibility of Tynna's secession.
Yet if he was so convincing during our clandestine conversations, why can't I remember the basis of an argument for secession I found compelling enough to risk the Jedi potentially releasing a deadly virus on Tynna?" The Director of Tynna silently asked herself.
A growing uneasiness causing her slowly building anger to once more set her tail to swishing.
The building emotion pushing her to whirl about without a word of explanation to the harried chief of emergency services waiting all this time, or to her Protective Services detachment. Heading for her office to release a worm into her private hyper-comm system and computer terminal.
...
Hey guys can you throw some power stones to Elevate the ranking.
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