Chapter 46: The Captured Jedi
Controlled chaos engulfed the room as Admiral Primidian, Admiral Sveck, and Minerva were all summoned in different directions. Rey felt her head spinning as everyone began to move. All the while, she tried to reconcile the battle she had just survived. However, her contemplative trance did not last long.
“We are so screwed,” a familiar and casual voice remarked next to Rey’s ear.
She hadn't been expecting anyone to talk to her or be so close and flinched severely. After recovering her calm, she elbowed General Poe Dameron in the ribs and snapped, “Don't scare me like that.”
Her friend looked at her slightly irritated and added, “I wasn't trying to; you usually have eyes on the back of your head.” He drew closer and whispered, “You could have whipped the floor with that guy. What's up?”
Rey half sighed and grumbled, “I might have given myself an accidental Force Injury. I'll be better after a couple weeks.”
Poe glanced upwards as if appealing to a higher power, and whined, “Of all times, you decided to do something stupid. It has to be right before the most important peace talks in a millennium when a Sith Cult decides to attack.”
Rey could feel a vein throbbing on her forehead from frustration as she snapped back, “Possibly. I thought this place was supposed to be the most guarded meeting in the galaxy. And what do you mean we're screwed? Those Dark Apostles what-evers didn't seem that tough to me.”
Poe smirked and responded, “Firstly, you lucky Minerva and the Admiral had blasters. Second, I'm not worried about the cultists; they're just wannabes; we'll catch them eventually.” He glanced at Primidian, who was now talking with the head of security and continued, “Thanks to the Admiral's quick thinking, he's saved the Peace Talks and placed himself in the strongest bargaining position possible. With you in his pocket and after that speech, he put himself at the peak of the diplomatic hierarchy. It's going to be a nightmare trying to negotiate with him.”
Rey elbowed her friend again and retorted, “I'm not in his pocket; if you want to use me for politics, just go ahead. I just want peace and justice.”
Poe rolled his eyes and responded, “Sorry, it's not that simple. Anyways, with Minerva and Marcus on our side, the New Republic is not without hope.”
The Jedi scowled and retorted, “Maybe if you focused more on peace than you did on politics, we might have already made some progress.”
The man nodded and responded merrily, “What an optimistic outlook.”
Rey sighed, seeing how he clearly viewed her stance as being entirely impractical, irritated that he was probably right. She glanced around and saw security making their way towards them. She grumbled, “Forget the Concord. Tonight is going to be a nightmare. I can't believe this happened.”
Poe leaned in closely again and whispered, “That's the thing. You were right. This ball was the most guarded event in the galaxy. There is only one way this attack could have happened.”
The answer to her friend's hint instantly popped into the Jedi’s mind: an inside job. Her heart went cold, and she growled, “Who then?”
Her friend responded quickly while glancing around the room, “The only people with that kind of influence are here in this room. This kind of operation would also be too complicated for just a single mastermind. This kind of scheming has to be the work of a conglomerate pooling their resources and connection.” He made eye contact with her and finished, “Case in point, the Anti-Peace Faction has made its first move.”
At this point, the guards arrived, and a female officer with a neat blond ponytail who looked a little in awe bowed her head, “Master Skywalker, it's an honor to meet you.”
Rey nodded back after glancing at her friend one last time before responding, “No need for formalities; what can I do to help?”
The security officer looked almost giddy despite the circumstances but spoke seriously, “Master Jedi, you have already done so much for us. I assumed my fellow security staff and I failed to stop the heinous attack.”
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Although the woman was clearly a fan, the Jedi Master felt there was no time for useless chatter. The Dark Apostles were running and hiding as they spoke, and she needed to do something about it. Likeso, Rey plastered a smile on her face and spoke with poise, “I'm sure you did everything you could. But in regards to the Dark Apostle, do we have any leads? Does this organization have a history or leave any traces?”
The blond woman seemed to snap back to reality and grew a bit meek, “I'm sorry, but at the moment, that is need-to-know information limited to the investigation committee.” Looking away from Rey’s blistering eyes, she finished in a voice an octave higher than when she started, “I was just sent over to collect a witness statement, given your proximity to the crime scene.”
A vein was once aging throbbing on the Jedi’s head as she let out a controlled breath and tried to calm down. This was why she hated politics; if they just shared what they knew, then everyone could try and find these villains. If the masterminds behind this attack were present, then the time to act was now; this was an issue that had to be acted on and not debated in committee. She did not know how she would have responded to this, though it likely would not have been very Jedi-like. Lucky a moment before lashing out, an intense voice sounded, “Nonsense, Master Rey is exactly the kind of person we need in this investigation.” Admiral Sveck had returned and appeared beside the security agent like a ghost manifesting, “WIth her Jedi training, she is the most subtle for tracing down Dark Side Cultists.” He then glanced at her and added, “Plus, given her military history, she is far more qualified than most members of the Security Force. “
The poor feed officer looked helpless, trapped between a Jedi, General, and Admiral, though she wasn't forced to take a stand as Poe spoke up, “I couldn't agree more, but there is a matter of protocol.” He gestured calmly to the older Admiral and continued, “How about tomorrow morning, we submit a joint appeal to instate Rey as a special investigator. I'm sure the other delegates would all feel more secure knowing she is working on the case personally. “
The Admiral smiled and nodded, “I was about to propose the same thing myself. I'll have a draft proposal for you by tomorrow morning.”
Poe smiled back with a slight foxish charm and responded, “I look forward to our cooperation.”
Rey looked back and forth between the two and snorted angrily before snapping, “This can't wait till tomorrow. Their trial could go cold by then.” In a quieter voice, she added, “We need to interrogate the suspicious delegates present before they get away.”
Both men shook their heads sternly as a monotone voice sounded from behind the Jedi, “That is a very poor strategy given the current situation.” Emi moved past Rey and then turned back to her before looking the Jedi up and down. In a voice that sounded like she didn't care and with a face void of feeling, she asked, “Are you injured.”
Rey knew from being around this female cyborg for the last week that this could practically be called a sign of endearment. It was nothing compared to what the woman demonstrated around Minerva, but it was still touching. The Jedi nodded and responded, “Only a bit winded, these aren't the best clothes to fight in.”
Emi nodded and responded, “I'll have your wardrobe changed to suit your upcoming investigation.” After a momentary pause, she returned to the original subject and clarified, “However, I must insist you don't do anything rash.”
Poe nodded respectfully to the cyborg and addressed his old friend, “Emi is right. Interrogation would be effective, but it would cause everyone to feel suspicious and become offended. We may find the culprits, but the Concord will be ruined, which is exactly what they want.” He shook his head and went on, “For now, it is best to let everyone recover from their shock and our losses and begin searching tomorrow.” Meeting Rey's frustrated eyes, he finished, “After all, we know where they're going to attack next. It's just a matter of out-whiting them.”
The Jedi recognized this logic and grumbled, “When did you become the calculating one.”
Poe smirked at this and rescinded, “Who knows, I find it rather concerning myself. People might actually mistake me for being respectable.”
Emi spoke out at this, next to Rey, in her usual tone, “It's a truly regretful misconception.”
Rey couldn't help but snicker as Poe’s brow furrowed; the security officer looked a mix between excited and terrified and mustered the courage to ask, “But can I get a witness statement.”
Rey signed at this and nodded, turning back to the blond woman; she rubbed her head and began to explain, “Alright. Things started when I was talking with Vice-Chancellor Organa and Admiral Adolfus.” After recalling the scene, she added, “Emi and Fama were there as well.” It was like she was struck by Force Lighting; fear like she hadn't felt in years flared up in her heart, and she stammered, “And Fama.”
She whirled around, looking for her Padawan, but as she already knew in her heart, the child was nowhere near her. Instinctively and in a slight panic, she tried to sense the girl via the Force, but the rebound from this effort caused her to grow dizzy and almost slouch over. Poe caught her and blurted, “Whoa there, not so fast.” Looking into the Jedi’s frantic eyes, he tried to console her, “ Fama is a smart girl. I'm sure she’s not in any trouble.”
Just as he said this, a laid voice rang, “Sir Primidian, we have apprehended two suspects.” A group of security officers came forward and tossed forth an unconscious figure in black. The thin male speaker with a rather pinty face elaborated, “We have one of the cultists as well as…” A pair of bulky men walked forward carrying a small figure, “This little Mirialan girl who smuggled in an assault weapon.”
One of the bulky men looked at the speaker, who sighed and added. “She also called Johne a fargle-head, it is a very offensive term in some cultures.”