CHAPTER SIX
Jedi Master Kyle Katarn was worried.
While he was used to his former apprentice Jaden Korr going on missions without telling anyone and wandering his way through the galaxy (there was a reason why his personal ship was called the Far Wanderer), this time was different. Since noticing his absence, Kyle had made several attempts to contact Jaden to no avail, receiving only static instead. Jaden wasn’t one to ignore calls, so the fact that he wasn’t answering meant that something was up. He had voiced his concerns to the other Jedi Masters and they had all agreed, Luke especially, that they would search for him as soon as the right opportunity came. As it stood though, they did not have any leads on where Jaden could have gone.
Then, one day, his modified Z-95 Headhunter appeared in the skies of Tython, landing outside the Jedi Temple. His astromech droid R6 was present in its socket, but there was no sign of Jaden. Any attempts to question the droid were futile as its memory had apparently been wiped, with the latest and only log entry in its databank being a command to travel to Tython. From the ship’s navigation systems, they had been able to discern that the Far Wanderer had come from a planet named Fhost, located on the edge of Wild Space. Kyle had immediately volunteered to travel there only for Luke to stop him.
“This is obviously some sort of trap,” the revived Grand Master had said. “Someone must have manually wiped the Arsix’s memory and set it on a course back here. Whoever did this is likely the reason for Jaden’s disappearance. If we follow the trail they’ve left us, then we may very well share the same fate.”
“All the more reason to follow it then,” said Kyp Durron. “If someone out there is able to defeat Jaden of all Jedi, then they are a danger to not only all Jedi but potentially to the Resistance as well. Hell, they might even be associated with the First Order.”
“I don’t doubt that, Kyp, but we can’t go into this blind. We need a plan.” Luke’s expression then became grim. “Besides, I’ve lost contact with Leia. Something must be going on in the Ileenium system. We might have more pressing concerns on our hands.”
As much as Kyle did not want to admit it, he knew that Luke was right. Over the past month, the First Order had been growing stronger, and the Galactic Alliance had recently fallen under the control of a suspected sympathizer. Jaden would have to wait until they had gotten everything else sorted.
“Once we’ve reestablished contact with the Resistance, I will send a team of Jedi Knights to provide aid,” Luke went on. “We still need to keep a low profile to avoid a repeat of what happened on Ossus. The First Order knows that we are a threat to them and will stop at nothing to wipe us all out. The more we stay hidden and restrained, the less damage they can do.”
Something in Luke’s tone suggested to Kyle that he did not fully agree with this current method, one that the Jedi Order had been going by under Jacen Solo’s leadership before Luke’s return on Lothal. Kyle wondered if he was uncertain on what to do due to having missed out on sixteen years of events, while also not wanting the Jedi to be wiped out by the First Order as they had been by the Empire. It could very well have been a mixture of a number of factors, all which Kyle could sympathize with.
At the very least, Kyle could take solace in the fact that Jaden was still alive, wherever he was. If he was dead, he would have felt it in the Force.
He only hoped that it would stay that way.
* * *
The time it took to travel from Crait to Darkknell was brief, as the latter system was located just at the end of the Duros Space Run where it met with the Hydian Way. Within hours of leaving the salt-based planet, the Resistance shuttle carrying Rey, Finn, and the team they had been assigned to had dropped out of hyperspace and was approaching Darkknell, with Poe Dameron and his Rogues escorting the shuttle.
From what General Organa had said at the briefing, Darkknell had been an Imperial world that declared its independence after the collapse of the Empire. As such, it did not have any representatives in the Galactic Alliance and was a potential ally for the Resistance, provided that the First Order had not yet established operations there. Orbiting three stars that were either dying or two weak to provide adequate sunlight, Darkknell was known to suffer long nights depending on its position, hence its foreboding name. Still, it was known to be home to a sizable and diverse population, and had been able to establish a solid enough economy considering its independence from any known galactic government.
While no one knew for sure where this “Agent Gray” of theirs would be, it was known that they had a position that was close to the current governor of Darkknell, operating in the capital city of Xakrea. Once they had landed at Xakrea, they were to seek an audience with the governor and hopefully get in contact with their agent.
It was a simple enough mission, but Rey could not help but feel apprehensive about it. General Organa had said that she would have gone along with them for the mission, making any discussion with the governor easy, but had to stay behind on Crait to oversee the base’s setup (as well as stay out of the eyes of any potential assassins). As such, Commander Dameron had been entrusted with leading the mission. While he was far more senior and experienced than Rey or the rest of the team, she did not have full faith in his ability to handle any sort of negotiations based on what she had seen from him on Corellia. Still, it was not her place to question General Organa’s decision and she had thus kept her opinions to herself.
Besides her, Finn, and the Rogues, their crew also included the engineer Rose, who had volunteered for the mission to make sure their admittedly old and unreliable shuttle stayed together. Also present was the rather eccentric trooper Beaumont Kin. The oldest member of the team after Snap Wexley, Beaumont had volunteered based on the fact that Darkknell had once been a stronghold for the Sith over a millennium ago. Although he now served as a soldier, Beaumont was still a historian at heart and had a great interest in ancient civilizations, something which he apparently shared with his idol, the late Arhul Hextrophon.
It was a strange and odd crew that had been assembled, but Rey was pretty sure that was par for the course for the Resistance.
Once Beaumont had announced that they handed, Rey got up from her seat and equipped herself. Rather than change back to her Jedi robes after discarding the Mandalorian disguise she had worn on Batuu, she had instead donned a more form-fitting black coverall that allowed for more movement. Considering how uncertain Darkknell’s allegiances were, she figured it would be better to not advertise her nature as a Jedi. Especially if there was a chance that the First Order had spies looking out for her or other Jedi associated with the Resistance.
Departing from the shuttle, Rey and the rest of the crew joined up with Poe and his Rogues as they were disembarking from their own fighters. The docking bay at the Xakrea Spaceport was large enough to fit all thirteen ships and the Psadan dock worker did not at all look fazed by the number of ships as he approached them with a datapad in his hand.
“Thirteen hundred,” the stout, lumpy plated being said grumpily.
“Pardon?” Poe asked.
“Docking fee is a hundred credits per ship. You have thirteen ships. Do the math, human.”
Poe blanched as he looked over to Snap. “Do we have that kind of money?”
Snap shrugged. “You’d have to ask the general.”
Poe looked back at the Psadan with an incredulous look. “A hundred credits per ship? Come on, that’s ridiculous.”
“I don’t make the rules,” the Psadan snapped. “Either pay the fee or get out.”
Shaking his head, Poe turned back to his Rogues. “All right. Snap, take your wingmate and Rogues Seven through Ten back into orbit and await further orders. Rest of us will stay here.”
Snap nodded. “If you say so. Radio us if you run into trouble.”
“Will do.” Poe then turned back to the Psadan. “Right. We’ll pay the seven hundred.”
The dock worker rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
Once the fee had been paid and the six Rogues had departed from the spaceport, the rest of the team departed from the spaceport and made their way for the capitol. Eternal night hung over the city of Xakrea, which was populated by a variety of species, from humans, Duros, and Sullustans to Leffingites, Ubdurians, and Sikurdians.
As they waded their way through the crowd, Finn remarked, “Pretty populated for a world so isolated.”
“Darkknell may be independent but it’s hardly cut off from the galaxy,” replied Beaumont. “Even worlds without representation in the Senate have exports and businesses that they thrive off of.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know,” Finn murmured, quiet enough that only Rey could hear him.
Reaching a busy plaza, Poe brought the group to a stop before turning around to face them. “It’s best if we split up so we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves. Finn, Rey, Beaumont, you’re with me. The rest of you, lay low and await our signal.”
“What kind of signal?” asked Selena Darklighter.
“You’ll know it when you see it.”
“Trust me, you will,” remarked Jessika Pava.
The group split off further and Rey followed Poe, Finn, and Beaumont towards the capitol building. Leaning in closer to Poe, Rey whispered, “How do you plan on approaching this?”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I don’t think anyone can just walk up to a government capitol and demand to see the governor without some sort of reasonable explanation behind it.”
Poe smirked. “Who said anything about the governor?”
He suddenly made a sharp turn down a narrow alleyway and the others stumbled as they moved to follow him. Upon reaching a discreet door, Poe walked up to it and knocked in a specific sequence. A moment passed and the door opened, allowing them to step inside.
“How did you know…?” Finn started to ask.
“General Organa told me,” Poe said simply.
“And she didn’t tell us?” Rey asked.
Poe gave her a peculiar look. “I’m a commander. You’re not. Some information is simply need to know.”
Once the four of them were all inside, the door closed and locked behind them, plunging them in darkness. Then, a single light turned on to reveal a cloaked figure sitting at a wooden table.
“Agent Gray, I presume?” Poe asked.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” the cloaked person replied. Their voice sounded slightly distorted, as if they were speaking through the mask. Rey immediately thought of Kylo Ren and her hand went straight for a lightsaber but Finn stopped her. She glanced at him but the ex-stormtrooper had his eyes solely on the mysterious figure.
“Why not?” Poe asked.
“My position has been compromised. A new governor has been installed, one with First Order sympathies. I am no longer able to carry out my tasks.”
“But the information we were given—”
“Is outdated. Communications going in and out of Darkknell have been restricted. I can’t even get a reliable connection to Fulcrum.” Agent Gray tilted his head up and Rey got a better look at what was under his hood. His face was concealed by a mask that appeared to be different from the one worn by Kylo Ren. It was faded white with golden accents; Rey believed she had seen the design before from her brief time in the Jedi Archives on Tython. It had been worn by the Jedi Temple Guards during the final days of the Old Republic. “Why are you here?”
“We were told that you have intelligence on the Malvis Cabal,” Poe said. “The Cabal itself has collapsed, but General Organa thinks it might give us a lead on the First Order’s operations.”
“I am aware of the Cabal’s collapse,” Agent Gray said. “However, it still has a presence here on Darkknell through the Tandoon Clan. Someone else has declared themselves Gaar and committed a coup against the governor I had been attached to. They practically forced the Xakrea Parliament to install someone who is believed to have ties to the First Order.”
Poe huffed out his breath. “Great. Seems like pretty much everywhere we go has the First Order’s fingers in their pies.”
“I would think that, by now, you would have realized just how much reach they have.” Agent Gray rose from his seat and drew his cloak tighter around his body. “It’s best that we leave as soon as possible. Your very presence could potentially jeopardize this whole operation.”
Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath their feet as a muffled explosion sounded from outside the building.
“If,” Agent Gray continued, “it hasn’t already.”
* * *
The capitol building burned like a funeral pyre. Some stopped and gathered to gawk at it in terror while others ran for safety, their paths crisscrossing and causing them to collide with others and get trampled on. The chaos that had engulfed the streets of Xakrea was impossible to navigate.
That had better not have been the signal.
Jessika Pava watched it all unfold before her very eyes. Her mind was brought back to a time that she would have rather forgotten; a time where the only thing she and her parents knew was strife and chaos. She had seen it before on Dandoran, and she was seeing it here again on Darkknell. No matter how many years had passed or where in the galaxy she was, everything seemed to stay the same.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts before fishing for her comlink. “Commander? We’ve got a problem.”
“So I’ve heard.” Poe’s voice came through a hiss of static. “How bad is the situation?”
“Very bad. Try ‘capitol on fire’ bad.”
“That’s what I was afraid of. We’ll be there soon. Just stay where you—”
Jessika did not hear the rest of Poe’s words as she was tackled from behind by a large being. Instinctively, she jabbed her elbow into the face of her attacker and managed to squeeze her way out of their loosened grip. Spinning around, she adopted a combative stance she had learned from her martial arts training and got a better look at her opponent. The large Ikkrukkian was massaging his nose where Jessika’s elbow had made contact. As he wiped the blood away, he affixed Jessika with glaring yellow eyes as a sinister smile crossed his face.
“You shouldn’t have come here. Rebel scum.”
Jessika’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion but managed to dodge in time as the Ikkrukkian lunged at her. She then got behind him and threw her leg into a spinning kick, making contact with his back. The brute staggered and dropped to one knee, giving her the window she needed to jump onto him and lock him into a choke hold.
The Ikkrukkian simply laughed as he half-heartedly thrashed against her, barely putting up much of a fight. “You played right into our hand, human.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Jessika grunted.
But the brute did not answer her. Instead, he started to gag and choke, foam spilling out of his mouth. Jessika jumped off of him and watched in horror as the Ikkrurkkian collapsed onto the ground and writhed in agony. Within moments, he lay still, a fallen giant laying in the streets of Xakrea.
Then she looked up and saw the yellow cam droid hovering in front of her. Behind it, a holoscreen built into a building facade switched off from the advertisement it had been displaying and replaced it with an image of her, still in her pilot gear, holding the Ikkrukkian in a choke hold as foam came out of his mouth. Scrolling across the image in bold Aurebesh characters were the words: “REBEL INSURGENTS STRIKE XAKREA!” The image was then interchanged with images of the capitol building aflame, with the same words scrolling across them.
Her heart sunk like a weight as she once again fished for her comlink. Her mouth was as dry and coarse as sand as she spoke. “Commander, I think we’ve just been set up.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” Poe’s voice sounded much clearer than before and she turned around to see him, Rey, Finn, and Beaumont running up to join her. Trailing behind them was a tall figure clad in an obscuring cloak and what appeared to be a mask of archaic design. “We need to get out of here before they drop security on us. Gray here knows the best route out.”
“Are you sure we can trust him?” Jessika asked pointedly.
“He’s the only chance we have of getting out of here alive. Come on, let’s find the others.”
Sifting through the chaotic streets and avoiding any further altercations with either Tandoon Clan members or vengeful citizens, they managed to find Rose, Selena, and Shyra. Unfortunately, there was no sign of either Lensi or Ziff, and the crowds were becoming far too clustered and hostile to navigate.
At Gray’s behest, they followed him to a hidden transport that he already had prepared, a repurposed Imperial troop transport, and quickly climbed in. Within moments, they were driving out of Xakrea and headed out into the deserted plains that laid beyond the city’s outskirts. Jessika and the others were cramped inside the transport’s interior while Poe took the seat next to the driver’s, already occupied by Gray.
“I can radio Snap and the others to meet us at our destination,” Poe started to say.
“No,” Agent Gray interrupted him. “That’s exactly what they want. Anything you do now will be painted as an attack on Darkknell by the Resistance. That will give the First Order, and by extension the Galactic Alliance, the leverage they need to frame the Resistance as a terrorist cell. What little support you already have in the galaxy will evaporate in an instant.”
“What would you have us do then?” Poe asked.
Agent Gray was silent for a moment, the only sound coming from the rattling of the old ITT as it traversed the desolate ground. When he finally spoke, his tone was low, almost ominous.
“You will have to do what no living being in their right mind wants to do. You will have to accept help from your enemy.”
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