Chapter 56: Finding a Lead

Rey woke early the next morning to go investigate the site of the Dark Apostles' second killing. She read the report on it as well as the report on the attack that had happened to her, but neither revealed anything important. Her only real clue continued to be the Northern Dragon camera lens, but it didn't lead anywhere.

After scouring the crime scene, there was nothing that stood out to her; only some more bits of Sith Witchcraft were even worth noticing. She didn't have long to sulk as her first of two Conferences was also early in the day. This meeting was much less exciting than the previous day and was centered around resolving cultural differences between the inner, mid, and outer rim. The participants were mostly elderly delegates and would each go on long tangents without truly discussing anything important.

After three hours, the Jedi endured and ultimately only made one statement, which was, "I think it's important to try and understand each other's point of view." Which did not go over well with her audience, who seemed bent on complaining about each other.

Once the conference was over, Rey consulted with Emi and was glad to hear she had performed well again. They had time for a quick lunch before zooming off to another Conference. This one was more interesting and was centered around breaking up the fuel and droid monopolies. Rey was eager to see how the Corporate Alliance defended its insidious trading practices; however, only half an hour in, she was summoned away. Replaced by someone who looked like they actually knew what they were doing, the Jedi was informed there had been a fourth attack by the Dark Apostle.

Rey and Emi zoomed over a few buildings, but by the time they arrived, there were some fires still burning, but the cultists were either gone or dead. The Jedi wanted to try and pressure the villains, but apparently, they had split up, and the two leads the Security Force was close to catching chose self-detonation to capture.

With the trail cold, she reviewed the recent video footage and was placed to see when the cultists attacked a rather notorious delegate from the Rebel Party of the New Republic and drew dual blasters on them. She managed to take down four cultists, but then Luca emerged. Their fight was intense, but the lightsaber-wielding warrior had numbers on his side. Due to the courage of the gunslinger, a few delegates managed to escape, but most everyone else was still massacred.

This was a move that made the critics happy as the Dark Apostle had finally attacked an event focused on ex-imperials, though to oppose this force, there was also a large number of New Republic delegates of the Rebel Party. The meeting was focused on discussing whether the construction and destruction of Super Weapons was moral and ended with both sides losing.

The Jedi's frustration was enormous, but she did her best to stay focused and investigate everything thoroughly. As usual, there were no obvious leads, which left Rey gazing out a shattered window at a vast city. She was feeling rather depressed and slowly scanned the official-looking buildings that surrounded her. They all had cameras and had gotten footage, but like last time, the cultists had blown power breakers that shut down the cameras in the lower levels, allowing them to escape unseen. Her eyes were fixated on a racing pedestrian speeder, and for a moment, she felt like an idea was forming in her mind. She sank into a trance, trying to dig up what her subconscious was contemplating, but just as she felt like she might make a connection, a hand grabbed her shoulder. A security officer quivered under the Jedi's glare and squeaked out, "The press is here. We're holding them back, but they would like to interview you."

Rey's gaze grew repulsive, but Emi popped up and responded for her, "Master Skywalker will be delighted to share a few words."

The Jedi glared at her aid and asked, "Will I?"

Emi nodded, "You will."

Her aid guided her away from the window while explaining the significance of keeping the public informed about her work. Right now, she was a symbol of hope and justice, and her words carried incredible weight. It would also be a chance for her to advocate for the peace effort. She still had tapes that Janus took coming out periodically, but with more experience, she could make a more direct statement. Naturally, after the Jedi begrudgingly agreed, her aide then told her exactly what to say, which question she should answer, and which to avoid. Then, just to be safe, she was given an earpiece, which would be scandalous in a Conference but, to the public, was only a little underhanded.

After a painful hour of talking and having her picture taken, the Jedi finally managed to escape back to her room. The reporters had been merciless and even tried to dig up past gossip like Starkiller Base, her killing the Emperor, and even an odd rumor that she and Kylo Ren had liked each other. With Emi's help, she managed to clear up everything according to her deal with Primidian and dodge most of the bullets. She did falter when the subject of Finn's political misbehavior arose, but after calming her mind, she responded firmly that Finn was still young and his acts did not all represent the portion of the Jedi Order.

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The Jedi had to take a few minutes to collect herself and recover her energy after everything that had happened that day. However, there was no rest for the wicked or Jedi trying to hunt the wicked. She rose from a half-asleep state wearily, though her attention was caught by a file of paper on her coffee table. Rey took it up and found that it was Fama's report on what she had seen in her vision. The Jedi smiled to help and decided giving it a glance would certainly count as investigating.

She hadn't been expecting to find much, but after reading the first page, she began to get a sense of deja vu. Rey began to read more closely and quickly read and reread the entire report. The child's vision had indeed been accurate in that it almost perfectly mirrors some of the video footage Rey had reviewed. Feeling like she might have stumbled on a possible answer, the Jedi cross-referenced the girl's vision with the video files she had and eventually found a near-perfect overlap.

The padawans' vision had twelve distinct vantage points, which corresponded to seven distinct sets of camera footage. Although the girl's writing was not as clear as the videos, she noted several distinct places, people, or objects that remained clear inside her mind. Rey watched this footage over and over for almost an hour, trying to figure out what the girl's vision was trying to tell her. She cursed herself for letting the girl go back to daycare so soon. Which was ironic given the girl was, in fact, reading over passages from the Jedi texts diligently and trying not to disturb her master's investigation.

It was at this time that Emi returned to the room to find the Jedi pacing and tugging on her hair. The two met eyes briefly, and the cyborg commented, "I can come back later if you're busy having a mental breakdown."

The embarrassment on Rey's face was intense but vanished quickly as she grabbed the woman's arm and blurted, "Thank goodness you're back. I need your help."

Emi was pulled to the couch and sat down while she responded, "That is the nature of our relationship."

Half-crazed, the Jedi snapped, "Hey, I help you too; remember the cultists."

The woman's expression almost became kind as she rescinded, "Maybe a little."

They shared a very sweet moment that was swiftly ruined by the manic Jedi pulling up her collection of recordings on a hologram and blurting, "Fama had a vision that reflects these twelve videos." She enlarged the first that was of the ballroom and went on, "There in chronological order and cover all of the cultist's movements until…" She switched to the last video and finished, "Here, when the camera goes out." Rey rubbed her eyes that stung from lack of blinking and finished, "I feel there is something here; it's like a voice is shouting in my head that this is what I'm looking for…" Her voice became distressed as she finished, "But I just can't find it."

Emi stood up at this, grabbed the Jedi's shoulders, and had her sit down instead, remarking, "I think you need tea." Rey looked up at the cyborg who walked to a food discrepancy system in the wall for on-demand food. She was about to object when the woman continued, "You're in the middle of possibly the most important investigation in the last five decades. Your work is important, but you can't forget your health." She received a glass of pink liquid and returned to the couch before sitting down and handing the cup to the Jedi. Rey opened her mouth, but the cyborg ordered firmly, "Drink first, then we will address the video."

Rey hesitated but took the advice of her friend and took a sip. The flavor was smooth and rich, like she was tasting flowers. The liquid was hot but not scolding and filled her with warmth. It also seemed to have a pharmaceutical property because she felt her energy returning to her and her mind calming down on its own. She let out a sigh and took another sip while her body relaxed.

The cyborg surprised the Jedi by pushing her back against the couch and producing a cool cloth that she laid over her forehead and eyes. Rey was disgruntled by this and complained, "I don't have time for this."

Emi responded in her usual voice but took the Jedi's hand, "If you work too hard, you'll burn yourself out. Rest for a little; Minerva wouldn't want to see you so distressed."

Rey considered these words and found them to contain a surprising amount of hidden emotion. The cyborg herself was a workaholic to the point where she had to be ordered to relax. For her to notice another person overworking themselves would require a great deal of attention. In addition to this, the woman viewed Minerva as an idol and would always address her as Lady Organa. She would not lightly invoke her name unless she was very serious about matters. The Jedi felt a surprising amount of clarity through the force at this moment despite her injured state. Beyond this, the cyborg's wind, which was usually filled with static, now seems very serene and clear, as though she wasn't utilizing her cybernetic implants at all when stating this. Rey could sense the woman's feelings of worry and concern that never appeared on her face, which was what ultimately caused the Jedi to resign to resting for a while. The moment of clarity passed, and the Jedi grumbled, "Fine, but only for five minutes."

Emi let go of her hand and responded, "I'll inform you when five minutes have elapsed."

Rey took another sip of tea and let herself relax, feeling oddly at peace. Oddly enough, she felt very happy at the moment and could imagine this was what it must have felt like to have an older sister. The Jedi relished in the feeling of being safe and cared for and enjoyed the five-minute break that felt suspiciously longer than five minutes. The tea was quickly finished, and the Jedi felt much better when her aide removed the damp towel and said, "Break time is over."

Rey looked to Emi with compassionate eyes, "Thank you. I needed that."

Emi nodded without an ounce of emotion and responded, "I'm glad." Rey smiled at this, though her gaze once more became fervent as the cyborg added, "I have also analyzed these recordings and have found a lead."