Chapter 48: The Hunt Begins
Rey didn't know if Primidian’s men were just better spies than those from the New Republic, but the report she received the following morning was so detailed it could have been published into a book. Her usual reports involved vague rumors and perhaps the testimony of some smuggler hoping to cash in a reward. With Fama grounded inside her room for bringing her slingshot to the ball, the Jedi Master managed to review the most important information in an hour's time.
The Dark Apostles apparently weren't a new cult but had existed since before the destruction of the first Death Star. Although the information was limited, supposedly, they were a special group of influential men and women who worshiped the DarkSide despite not being Force-sensitive. Their loyalty to the Emperor was absolute, and they even worshiped him as a deity. When his body was destroyed on the Second Death Star and his death was proclaimed, they went rogue. Whether they were following the Emperor's commands from the shadows or were pressuring their own goals was unknown. During the rise and fall of the first New Republic, they attacked many Jedi temples, trying to acquire cyber crystals. They also supposedly had even run into her master, Luck Skywalker, and lost a number of members in the process. Ultimately, when the First Order rose, they were not on good terms with Supreme Leader Snoke despite his affinity for the Dark Side and had remained hidden till their attack the previous evening.
Most of the members whose identities were known had a similar back story. They were children raised in the Imperial System and had fanatic parents. At one point or another, their loyalty became a fervent mania. They all crossed a line at some point, be it grand theft, murder, or treason, because they felt the First Order was led by a False Emperor. Once in the imperial prison system, they were indoctrinated and broken out. A case in point is that they were psychos willing to die for the cause of restoring the Empire and returning a Sith to the throne.
Their leader, who had monologued at the ball, was named Cronos Naux and had served as the apprentice to one of Palpatine's aids. Although not Force-sensitive, he was considered to be a big fish in the world of Sith Cults and was considered the most knowledgeable person alive when it came to the secrets of the Darkside.
The most mysterious and difficult member to deal with is the man called Luca. He had no record whatsoever. The only thing that could be potentially connected to him was that a person with a similar mask was known to be a member of the Knights of Ren for a time before leaving once they were taken in by Snoke.
Having personally fought this Darkside user, Rey knew he was very powerful but not on the level of Sidus. What worried her was with this man's moderate talent paired with Cronos’s brains, the two could become a terrifying enemy.
Rey also had to admit that the Security Officers weren't just for show. In one night, they had managed to find two of the Dark Apostles' hideouts and trace evidence back to three delegate conspirators. Regrettably, neither Cronos nor Luca was at these bases, and evidence pointed to the existence of more conspirators. Much of this information had come from the cultist Fama had managed to capture. Sadly, after being transferred to the official prison system, he managed to offend a Dug who turned him into a puddle of green goo. The Jedi had to admit the admiral's methods were questionable, but his foresight was spot on.
Regrettably, no other prisoners had been captured, and the trail of the criminals had been lost.
Given how thoroughly everything had been investigated, Rey honestly had no idea where to begin. She ultimately settled on heading to the two abandoned bases and trying to search for any cues that might have been missed. Investigating would also have to be done around her political schedule, which Primidian and Miierva had prepared for her. There was a lot on it, but attendance was mandatory, and she was expected to be presentable.
She had begun to pace back and forth in her room, eager to begin when her comlink suddenly buzzed. It was a message from Poe saying his and Admiral Sveck’s proportion had passed, and she was permitted to investigate. Rey almost yiped with excitement and rushed to the door. She was just about to rush out when a knock came from the other side.
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It was too late to stop, and upon opening the door, she didn't know if her impulse had been for better or worse. Finn stood in the doorway looking a little glum; when he saw his old friend, his aze grew a bit colder, but this was soon shaken off and replaced by dedication. In a sunken voice, he asked, “So, can I come in.”
Rey nodded my reflex but then grew excited and patted her old Padawan on the shoulder, “Of course.” They moved inside, and she responded happily, “So Minerva finally let you out of your room.”
Finn grew colder at this and began to keep his distance, “It was Marcus, actually; I'm going to be working with him as security.”
Rey smiled, inferring that Finn's release implied he was no longer ballistic over her choice regarding politics. She nodded quickly and responded, “That's good. You'll get to be right in the middle of everything. We're making history, you know.”
Finn suddenly formed a fist at his side as his eyes flashed with anger; Rey realized he had still not forgiven her as he grumbled, “I hope we're making the right kind of history.”
Rey crossed her arms at this and shook her head, “Finn, I've made my choice. To be a Jedi is to seek peace, not revenge. You can't jeopardize the greater good because of your personal feelings.”
Her friend turned away; however, even with her limited force abilities, she could still see the coldness of his negativity. He changed subjects and spoke in a voice that was eerily calm, “You could have gotten hurt last night. You should be more careful.”
Rey sighed, willing to let the topic of his behavior go, and responded, “I can take care of myself, you know. When have I ever gotten into trouble I couldn't get myself out of.”
A moment of silent tension was pressured that was broken by them both laughing at the righteousness of her claim. Apparently, being a Jedi also made one a magnet for trouble, and only by working together had they managed to survive a number of tricky situations. With a familiar smile, Finn seemed to calm down and asked, “So when do we leave.”
Rey was a bit confused by this and asked back, “Leave for what.”
Finn rolled his eyes and responded, “Cultiest Hunting, of course.”
Rey personally loved the idea of going on a hunting mission with her friend again but hesitated. She wasn’t sure if bringing him would send the right message or if he was even allowed to participate. As fate would have it, the answer to these worries came quickly. In her unremarkable but unique voice, Emi spoke up from the doorway, “That’s not permissible. Only Rey Skywalker was given investigatory powers and is not allowed to delegate her authority.”
The cyborg walked in and stood by the Jedi Master's side. Meanwhile, Finn couldn't help but gape and blurted, “Why not? Rey can't do this alone.”
In response to this, the Jedi master in question glared, “Excuse me, but I can certainly hunt a couple cultists on my own.”
Finn appeared helpless and changed his approach, “I mean, you need all the help you can get. Two Jedi are better than one.”
Emi shook her head at this and responded, “No permissible.”
Rey glanced to her aid, then back to her former Padawan, and sighed, “Finn, if the delegates say I have to work alone, then I'm working alone. You can still attend to the Chancellor; his safety is also very important.”
Finn's anger reappeared, though he tried to suppress it as he snapped, “This isn't fair. Why do you get to hunt criminals while I’m stuck here with politicians?”
Rey felt a bit helpless but also frustrated by her friend's immaturity, “Finn, one wrong step by any of us could start another war. I'm not taking any chances.” She tried to lighten the mood by adding, “Plus, I thought you liked being with the politicians.”
The Jedi knight seemed to take this as an attack and blurted back, “I don't like them, I just…” he tried to find the right word and managed to get out, “I just want to do what is right.”
Rey nodded at this, “Good, go do that. With luck, I'll catch these fargle-heads by tonight.”
Swiftly, The Jedi and her aide left the room, leaving no room for Finn to put in edgewise. He stood in that spot for a long time, trying to regain control of his emotions before he left. His eyes flashed with a cold determination as he made his way to the Old Senate Building. In contrast, her old master's eyes shone brightly as she covered her robes in a dingy cloak and made her way to a modest transport. Her destination was the slums on one of the 1013th levels of Curasuant.
When the Jedi and cyborg eventually arrived at the slimy bar that had housed a cell of the Dark Apostles, one remained still while the other couldn't help but shiver. Rey had heard Curansuant was also deceived as the Masked Monster, pretty on the surface but ugly and savage underneath. The bar was in an area so seedy she didn't know how the cultists had even survived. There was not a clean or safe-looking square foot, and even the droids that darted around seemed dangerous.
At the door of the establishment were two scared-looking Security Officers with blasters in hand. When Rey and Emi approached them, they shaky raised their weapons, and one shouted, “Stand back; this is a crime scene.”
Rey held out her arm, and a hologram was projected from a bracelet-shaped bracelet that Emi had given her. The hologram showed an official seal that caused the two guards to immediately relax. Rey moved forward and spoke to them, “I am Rey Skywalker, Jedi Master. I'm here to investigate the Dark Apostles.