Why Must We Fight?

[Jamie Pyne]

Stepping out of the speeder with the assistance of the driver she was met with sudden bright flashes of cameras that were nearly blinding. One after another in repetition made it difficult for the younger girl to see until they made it past the first group of paparazzi that had gathered just outside to ambush each of the guests as they arrived. Why? Likely for tabloid headlines to ridicule certain folk for their choice of attire, others to praise certain individuals for their flamboyancy. Too much more of that she'd end up with a headache before the evening even started.

Once they reached the main gates a man eyed them, then turned his attention to a datapad that looked incredibly tiny in his massive grip. He turned back once more, nodded, and pushed open the gate granting the two women entry to the estate. Her eyes shifted to the palace towering high above them. It was comparative to the palace back home, huge! She did her best to look unimpressed by the sights, despite being in awe within her mind.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela also kept her face mostly blank, though her eyes quickly darted from place to place. She tried to take in everything at once, the sights, the people, the architecture, everything. Somewhere in here were their targets, somewhere in this sea of people was the man they were looking for.

Everything was decorated with a grand sort of theme, gold-leaf, great colored tapestries, huge statues that seemed to loom over people. The entire ball room was decorated in a somewhat medieval fashion, it reminded Aela of something that a Sith would construct. That wasn’t too surprising of course, but it still caught her half off-guard. She frowned slightly as they stepped into the main room, leaning into Jamie so that she didn’t have to shout.

”Let’s see i-” She was suddenly cut off as a man in livery approached her, a fine suit tailored and cut with slashes of house colors.

”Ladies. I must ask you to please come with me.”

Immediately something caught in her throat. Was something wrong? Where were they going? Clearly the man was a simple servant, and by the colors on his coat he served the hosts of this house, their target. ”Why?”

Her voice was haughty, commanding.

”I do not know, Ma’am. I was asked to escort you, I am simply doing what I was told.”

For a moment Aela considered their options. They could refuse, but that would likely lead to some very bad consequences. No, it was best to go along with this, especially considering that they were still new here.

”Very well.” Aela said finally. Without another word the stuart turned away from them, the Jedi Marshall very gently judging Jamie as the man walked them through the party, and then out of the ball room into the main estate.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

They hadn't even made it in the door twenty feet before being approached by someone, a servant or someone similarly titled by the looks of it. He had interrupted whatever Aela had started to say, urging them both to follow him. Jamie could sense the trepidation in Aela, the hesitation, but there wasn't a whole lot they could do about it. Whoever it was that wanted to see them already knew they were here, meaning they already had eyes on them. She was truly hoping they weren't already walking into some kind of trap moments into the night.

"How rude." Jamie exclaimed. "I've not even garnered a glass of wine yet. Some host."

The younger blonde trotted along a step behind the elder, who followed behind the man dressed in some very expensive looking garbs.

Where are we going? She wondered to herself, the knot in her stomach partially growing after each step away from the relative safety of the larger crowd. Isolation meant lack of witnesses to whatever it was this was turning out to be, if it were in fact a trap of some sort.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

They moved down winding hallways, meticulously crafted marble busts and beautiful paintings sat upon the walls, each seeming to watch them as they made their way through the palace and headed towards wherever the Stuart was leading to them. They wandered for five minutes total, Aela counting every single step in her head in case they had to make a break for it.

”Here.”

The Stuart said as he waved towards a heavy wooden door ahead of them. He stopped beside it, and then slowly pulled it open to reveal a massive study. She frowned for a moment, looking at the man and then at Jamie.

Without another second of hesitation she stepped through, her face going from concerned to determined. Aela had no idea what waited beyond that door, but she would be blasted if things were going to be ruined this early. She stepped through the archway, Jamie following close behind her with the door falling shut a second later.

The study was as fancy as the rest of the house, rich dark wood shelves, books piled on tables, and a heavy desk with a man standing behind it at the very center of the room.

Aela peered through the dark, then spoke ”What is the mea-”

”Please, Miss Talith. I’d rather not begin this with lies.”

Her stomach dropped in an instant, the man turned around, and there with a smiling face stood their target.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

If Jamie's jaw wasn't attached it would have fallen to the floor.

How? How'd he know who she is? Does he know who I am?

The younger girl's teeth bit down sharply into the inner portion of her bottom lip, nearly breaking the skin from the sheer force of it. Her blue eyes shifted from Aela to the man, and then immediately around the room, half expecting some kind of guards to step into view with some less than pleasant intentions. What did Aela plan on doing now? Run? The mission was clearly compromised.

She was completely speechless. What could she say?

Nothing. She simply stood by idle, words completely foreign on her. If he had known since they arrived, or discovered their identity at some point during their stay, then he had plenty of time to plan exactly how to arrange whatever this was going to become, with half a dozen of his own contingencies as well. The blonde could feel the tiny hairs on the back of her neck standing as a cold shiver ran through her.

What now?

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela didn’t say a thing, and for a moment, neither did he, until he slowly turned to face Jamie.

”I’m sorry, but I have no Idea who you are.”

The instant he said those words Aela grabbed Jamie’s arm. Her grip was a bit rough, fingers nearly like a vice, but it was a strong signal for her apprentice to remain silent. The less information he had about them, the better. They had very few options here, and already she was eying the windows and several of the walls to see if they could break through them.

”Please. I mean you no harm. I promise.”

There was an edge to his voice, not anger, not indignation...fear.

Aela frowned for a moment, gently letting go of Jamie and walking forward a few steps. She managed to carry herself well, even in the heels and the bit too tight dress. ”How do you know who I am?”

The man smiled at her.

”It’s the eyes, Miss Talith. Honestly I had no idea who you were, nor did I particularly care, until I saw your picture in the tabloids this morning, but the eyes...they are a tell. I knew your Grandfather.”

Aela cursed to herself. It was a give away that not many people knew about. Orange eyes weren’t exactly uncommon in the galaxy, not with how many different species there were that all had oddly colored eyes, Chiss, Zeltros, Zelosians, all unique, but coupled with her facial structure and the way she carried herself...the connection was likely a close one.

”What do you want?” She gave nothing away.

”I require your help. I believe my daughters are attempting to kill my Son and I, tonight.”

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie stood still, even as Aela rather tightly grasped her arm much like a parent would when their child was in danger. She could quite easily feel the rapid pulse of the girl's heart with the grip on her wrist she currently had. It had gone from calm and relatively relaxed to full on duress in a matter of seconds. Though the idea that he had no idea who Jamie was at least was somewhat comforting. At least he didn't know everything. That could have been a bit disturbing, since she had been thoroughly isolated for nearly her whole life.

She blinked, eyes looking to Aela once more before shifting to the man to hear him explain just what was transpiring.

What?

She blinked a few more times, confused as to exactly what he was saying.

"Your daughters? Are plotting to kill you? Don't you have guards? If you knew that why wouldn't you just stop them before tonight?"

Jamie was awful skeptical of this man and his words. And if he knew who Aela was, they likely did as well.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”My daughters.”

He began, and Aela felt an odd sort of chill fall down her spine, the force gently nudging her towards something.

”Have always been very involved in Family matters. As I’m sure you know my dealings are not exactly...inline with what one might consider moral.”

He was admitting to it. The Terrorism, the crime, everything. As he kept speaking Aela began to understand, and the nudging feeling in the back of her head began to make more and more sense. She frowned for a moment then spoke. ”You’re funding the Terrorists.”

”Indeed I am, or was. However, I was not, as you might think, doing it on my own. There are several...larger players within this game, and I’m afraid they’ve grown tired of me. They want more you see. More money to be funneled, more weapons to be smuggled, everything. They want to pressure the Alliance. I disagreed, not wanting to attract your attention.”

She scoffed, too late for that.

”My daughters saw it another way. They didn’t care if you came and well...here we are. The others want me out, so they offered my daughters a deal. Take me out and everything I have, everything, is theirs. For that of course they also have to kill my son. The guards, have long since been replaced by men favored by my Daughters. They have been in charge of my security for years”

It made sense in a sick sort of way.

”So why would we help you?” Aela asked, eyes flickering towards one of the windows. ”You’re our enemy. You just admitted as much.”

”My daughters plan to kill me, and pin the crimes on you. A simple plan really, almost too simple for them to have thought of, but effective I think. You are right though, I am your enemy, but I am an enemy you can use. In exchange for your protection, I will tell you everything about those who are...above me.”

Clearly he found admitting he wasn’t the head of this supposed organization rather painful. Aela frowned, looking at the man, trying to tell if he was speaking the truth. There was no telling really, but...she frowned and glanced to Jamie for a moment.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie's face flushed, despite already being a rather pale girl, the rosyness in her cheeks faded, replaced by a pretty ghastly stare. Her focus was neither Aela nor their original target, but some kind of empty space off in the distance, as if her spirit had suddenly floated to another dimension somehow. Her perplexed look remained as she twitched her head, snapping out of the momentary daydream in an attempt to fully process what was being said, followed by Aela's shifting gaze upon her.

"Funding the spread of bloodshed is a heinous act of evil." That was all she said at first, letting the words linger in the air as sharp as nails. Her tone was cold, almost heartless. It was the very core of what her family had worked so hard to relieve the galaxy of all those years. "My parents risk their own lives to ease the pain of the people whose lives you willfully destroy with no regard. Innocent people. You, your family, this place; Makes me sick." There was no act behind her words this time. They were honest, truthful words. She meant them with the ferocity she used.

She turned halfway to the side, looking over at some of the books that sat atop the generations old shelves. "You're way of life is what this galaxy needs to be rid of."

By now she was torn between furious and terrified. Terrified because it was clear now that the daughters knew who they were, that they were here, and that the guard vastly outnumbered she and Aela. On top of that, they hadn't brought their weapons. Jamie was, as far as any kind of realistic combat was concerned, useless. Could Aela actually protect both she and this man while fending off however many guards there may be in this palace? For all she knew their driver was already dead, and their speeder stolen. Getting out of here just became a whole lot more complicated.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Jamie was right, and Aela wanted nothing more than to walk away and let this man die, but she couldn't do that.

She was a Jedi Master, a Marshall of the Order, and a representative of the Galactic Alliance. Above all of that however, she was her Mother's daughter. She could no more allow this man to die at the hands of his children than she could kill him herself. It was wrong, and she knew that at her core. As much as she wanted to agree with Jamie, as much as she wanted to head out that door, Aela couldn't do it, she just couldn't. A frown twitched at her lips, and quietly she let out an exasperated, almost desperate sigh.

What else was she to do.

"We'll help you. We'll get you to Sullust, where you will tell us everything you know and face trial for your crimes." The words very nearly caught in her throat. The idea was almost unthinkable, impossible. They were a ragtag group of One Jedi Master, a brand new Padawan, and five soldiers. That was what they had to get this man and his son off the planet. "Where's your son?"

"Safe. I sent him away early this morning. My daughters didn't notice, too worried about me."

That was at least something. The son would have been another problem added to the mix. Now they just had to worry about this man and getting him out. She frowned for a moment looking towards Jamie, she half wished that she could show the girl some sort of sympathy, tell her that she was sorry for getting her into this...something, but now wasn't the time. They had work to do, and if they were going to make it out alive of this they had to prepare. "We need weapons, and a plan."

Aela leaned down, looking at her dress for a moment and letting out a sigh. With a loud tear she ripped the fabric at the knees. "Jamie, grab those off the wall."

She pointed to a pair of ancient vibroblades hanging over a fireplace.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

What was more painful? The idea of having to fight their way out of this palace from deep within the study to safety? Or the fact that Aela just tore a few thousand credits worth fabric from a beautiful dress?!

Jamie's face grimaced once more as she watched the girl tear the dress away, before ordering her to take down a pair of the -- wait, swords?! .... From above ... The FIREPLACE!? With a turn the blonde noticed the pair of weapons hanging in a rather ornate fashion above the lightly burning fireplace off to the side of the room. A small smirk, one of the acknowledgement that sometimes miracles do happen, appeared on her face as she made her way towards the weapons, gently removing them from their hooks as if they were newborns.

If there was ever two things she had an appreciation for, it was dresses and swords. Oddly they were both at her fingertips this evening! Oh the luck! Perhaps she wouldn't be entirely useless then! Making her way back over to Aela she handed the elder girl one of the weapons. Though heavier and far more lethal than what she was typically used to using it was something at least. Did she tear her own dress? Or even think to take off the high heels?

Oh hell no.

She wouldn't leave him to the fate he had cornered himself into, but that didn't mean she was pleased with how this night had turned out in the slightest. Sure, they kind of got what they came for, but this had blown up in such a way she was certain Aela hadn't even thought of. All she did was nod along with her master's words.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Next went her shoes. She really liked them, but knew that she couldn't justify running around in them if things got truly bad. Rather unceremoniously Aela kicked off the heels and sent them flying halfway across the room, stepping onto the carpeted floors and curling her toes for a moment. Jamie came up beside her a moment later, handing her the vibrosword without a word. The Jedi Marshall tested the blade in her hand, taking a step back from Jamie and swinging the sword for half a second before twirling it in her hand.

She caught the blade, then looked towards the old man. There was a very wide, distasteful grimace on his face.

"Those swords are a thousand years old."

Aela perked an eyebrow. "Ryyk Blades."

She could tell from the way the blades had been forged, as well as their weight and balance. Aela was by no means a master swordsman, in fact it was very possible that Jamie was better with a regular blade than she was. Swords and Lightsabers were two completely different things. One was weightless, the other had a number of factors that contributed to it's swing and strength. Yet she was competent enough to hold her own in a swordfight, at least with the assistance of the force, Her Oma had seen to that on Onderon.

"Is there a back way out?" She asked the old man. "Something your daughters don-"

As she spoke the power suddenly went out, the study plunging into darkness save for the flames in the fireplace.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

A professional in heels Jamie was. Running was hardly an issue for her. She'd run from a great many gala events to avoid conversing with certain undesirables back home. It had become a sort of game for her in a way. And while this was hardly a game, she was confident enough that she could keep up the pace with Aela unless of course the woman decided to use some kind of Force ability, in which case she would know Jamie couldn't keep up in that manner anyway. The man's comment went largely ignored by the younger blonde. His sentimental value over the weapon he used as decoration was wholly and completely unimportant to her. Whatever he held of value was unimportant. Getting out of this place alive was all that mattered.

And now the power is out.

"That's not on accident is it?" She said, flames from the fire pit reflecting off her eyes as she glared towards the man. "No. I'm afraid not." He shifted his obscured gaze to Aela to answer her question. "No. They know this palace just as well as the rest of the family. There are a number of exits, but none of which they are unaware of. They weren't always plotting to kill me, after all." He took a moment to consider his options. "Closest exit is across the hall, down the stairs to the pantry. There's a service elevator that leads to a tunnel that will take us out to the courtyard, but I'm sure they'll have that way guarded."

"Then I suppose we're going to find out how much value there is in being the grand champion of the fencing league back home."

Hopefully it means something.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

There weren't many other questions to ask.

"The guests." Aela suddenly realized.

There were nearly a thousand people that were supposed to be here within the Ball Room, she couldn't imagine that they would be mad enough to try and kill all of them. There had to be something done with them, were they being sent home? Contained within the ball room? "What will happen with them?"

"They will likely be sent home, though a great many of the High Families will already know what is going on. The problem isn't getting out of the estate, it's getting off-world"

So most of the families were involved. That made a lot of sense, if the most powerful family on Bastion was in this little cabal then of course others would be as well. She frowned slightly and weighed the blade once more, stepping over towards the doors and slowly pulling the handle to open the door. She poked her head outside into the halls, peering into the darkness one way, then the other. A frown pulled at her lips as she saw nothing, no guards, no soldiers, nothing. "We head to the pantry. We worry about the rest when we have to."

They could think about the rest when they were back with the others.

Without another moment of hesitation Aela stepped out into the hall, door swinging open silently as she slipped into the darkness.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie could have, she even wanted to, but for now decided not to ask about what exactly the problem with getting off world would be. Her imagination was already in high gear projecting images of the horrible fate they might end up being served if they made it to their ship, and right now, that was a big if. Assuming the three could navigate the estate, get through the pantry and into the tunnel, make their way into wherever this courtyard took them, and elude all of the guards along the way, their ship may have already been impounded, which Jamie thoroughly assumed was the case by now.

This was all circumstantial by its' own right. For all Jamie and Aela knew, he could be the one luring them into a trap. Perhaps his daughters weren't trying to kill him after all and this was nothing more than an elaborate ruse to trap them. Regardless of her feelings on that particular subject however, there was little time to debate otherwise or convene with Aela on how to proceed. Right now she would simply have to trust the word of the man who had been funding terrorists, as fantastic as that sounded.

"Are there cameras? Will they know where we are going and where we'll end up?" She asked quietly before stepping out into the hallway aside Aela. "Will they be waiting?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"There are camera on the perimeter, none inside of the house. I don't know if they're expecting us, my daughters are...clever."

That was putting it mildly from what Aela understood.

Both of them had military training in intelligence, tactics, and actual fighting. They were highly intelligence and some might even claim gifted. If they were force users they would have been prime candidates for becoming Sith, Aela was sure of that. It was one small gift that neither of the sisters could use the for- For a second Aela stopped, halting just in front of the stairs. "They can't use the force right?"

There was a pause as the old man and Jamie caught up to her.

"No. No one in my family can."

She breathed a sight of relief. Force Users would have been an entirely different issue, for one, she was fairly certain that these blades wouldn't stand up to a lightsaber. Shifting forward Aela continued on down the steps, the quiet pitter patter of her feet setting on cold marble sounding out as she wandered down the circular stairway. Eventually she poke her head around one of the corners, immediately pulling back as bright flashlights carved a path down the hall. "Guards."

The word was a whisper, her hand darting out to gently grab Jamie and pull her close.

"Stay close to him." She whispered in the other girls ear. "Don't get cornered, and try to move as much as possible."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

No cameras inside the palace? Are they out of their mind? In a place like this?!

Jamie was baffled by his lack of security inside. Jamie's parents' estate even had surveillance and they lived on Naboo, arguably one of the safest planets in the civilized galaxy. In a place like this? Where people were frequently plotting against one another? She couldn't fathom not having security both indoors and out. Still, for now that would at least work in their favor. With a shrug she adjusted her grip on the vibrosword and followed along behind Aela, keeping a very watchful eye on their prisoner and victim.

Aela's sigh of relief was echoed by Jamie. If they could use the Force, well, they likely weren't getting off world without significant trouble, if at all.

Something Aela and Jamie apparently both forgot however? While Jamie was well and capable of moving in high heels, they tended to make a clacking noise as she stepped on hard textile surfaces. So when Aela pulled her back and whispered that there were guards coming down one of the hallways she froze, nearly biting into her lip once more to the point of drawing blood, only this time she succeeded, and a bit of warm liquid began to seep into her mouth.

Ever so carefully the girl knelt down, slowly releasing the straps on the shoes at the side of each ankle, slipping her feet from them before picking them up with her free hand. If she left them, and they discovered them, they'd know exactly where they were. Besides, these were nice shoes! She really didn't want to leave them if she didn't absolutely have to! Finally she poked her head around the corner to see them getting a bit closer. "Which way to the pantry?" She whispered to Joran. The man simply pointed across the way, to the door about ten feet ahead and on the left. Right in the direction the guards were coming. Perrrrrfect.

The blonde looked to Aela with a look of concern and hope, giving the elder girl a nod to indicate she was ready to run.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Her mother would have run, her father would have obliterated every single man within that hallway.

It was an interesting dichotomy between her parents, something that she'd always rather wondered about. Her father never had many qualms about killing people who were out to hurt his wife and children, yet somehow her mother had managed to keep a tight reign on him for all of these years. As far as she knew Soliael hadn't killed a single person since he had met her mother, though before...well, not everyones past was squeaky clean. She shifted slightly, turning towards the hall. "Run."

The guards were only a couple of dozen feet from them now, and it was the perfect time to stand. They had a the element of surprise, they had stealth, but most of all they had something no one else in this palace had, a Jedi Master. Aela stepped into the hall brandishing the Ryyk blade, her hair tied back and her orange eyes blazing with power. The force had built within her core, and as she moved Aela began to lash out. She took a single step forward and then threw her arm out..

It was simple, if not brutish tactic.

As her arm moved a massive wave of the force lashed out in front of her, a huge blue haze pressing and then building within the hall that rushed forward. The guards raised their rifles, but by the time any of them managed to aim it was too late. The wave struck them, throwing those in front back and tossing them against those standing behind them. The half dozen guards went flying to the floor with a clatter of weapons and armor, some letting out half-bitten cries in surprise.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Nobody needed to tell her twice. As Aela stepped out into the hallway Jamie pulled on Joran's shirt with her hand that clutched her shoes, dragging him with her into the hall and across the way, using the force of her weight to shove open the doorway that they needed to bypass in order to reach the pantry, all the while Aela saw to the temporary disposal of the palace guards. It would buy them some time, though the element of surprise was now gone. When those men got their bearings once more, the rest of the guard, including the sisters, would know where they were, and quite likely, where they were heading.

"We're not going to make it to the pantry and out of the tunnel in time, are we?" The younger girl asked the man as she continued running through the next room that appeared to be something of a hobby room. Dozens of model starships hung from the cathedral ceiling above, numerous beast heads were mounted to the walls, while some skins of exotic animals lined the floor in areas as rugs. It was a combination of morbid decor and meticulous skill. There was however no time to comment on or observe the items as Jamie pushed through the next door into another long corridor, the cold sting of the marble floor nipping at the soles of her feet with each patter. "No. They'll surely be waiting outside."

That wasn't the answer she wanted to hear, though it was the one she expected. For a moment she turned back to ensure that Aela was still behind her, catching up after handling the guards.

"How much further?!" Icy blue eyes shot a glare over to Joran as they made their way around a bend. "Up ahead is the pantry, there's a tunnel beneath an old decorative keg that hasn't been used in quite some time."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She was right behind them, having thrown some of the guards with another secondary wave of the force to ensure that even those in the middle of standing up stayed down for a little while longer. A few of them likely had concussions, maybe a broken bone or two, but it was better than seeing them dead. Half of her wished that she didn't care about that sort of thing, but her mothers morals ran as strongly through her as the gene that gave her blonde hair.

"Go!" Aela shouted as she turned the corner, a blaster shot landing just inches to the left of her.

More guards were arriving now, and worse still they knew exactly where they were headed. The Jedi Marshall let out a curse, wishing that she had her mothers ability to turn them invisible. She shifted slightly the right, turning into Kitchens and following behind Jamie and Joran. Her eyes quickly followed the old man as he pointed towards the pantry door. Jamie rushed over without another wording, pulling open the door and stepping inside.

Aela urged Joran forward, slamming the door to the kitchens shut. She shifted slightly for a moment, looking for something large enough to block the door. When she found nothing she let out a curse and looked down at the blade in her hand. The force briefly ran through her, and with a powerful thrust she drove the blade through the door edge and into the frame.

Already she could hear boots stamping beyond the door.