AU: Not Milliways continuity: The Foundry -Reprise

[last_kallig]

Ibani is at a corner booth in Milliways, examining a tactical map of the Kurost sector of the Mid-Rim, specifically the Nanth'ri system.

She's half in, half out of armor, a look worn by many commanders in many worlds and many times. A look that suggests that the Commander was either interrupted en route to sleep or has given up on it entirely.

She has a small stack of holopads set out on the table, listing various groups and their locations, most of them are crossed out. The two on top are for a Major Bessiker and the Sith Hiran Bessiker, his son.

She'd hoped she would never need to enter the Foundry again, but events have conspired against her.

Her stomach sinks as she recalls what she's fairly sure will be Major Bessiker's last message to her or to anyone, that a group of fanatical Jedi had taken the Foundry. She's checked again and again, and there is no one she can send, no one she can spare.

If she can't find an answer here, she'll be going alone into what the data tells her MUST be a trap.

(OOC: dialogue in italics is taken from/adapted from Ibani's canon.)

Comments

[last_kallig]

Ibani laughs at that. "That was more or less exactly what he said," Ibani replies.

She reaches up to gently touch his hair. "I admit my helmet does a number on my hair, but the appearance it grants me is useful. It helps people see the monster they expect, after all."

Milliways room service is ridiculously fast, and she gets up to answer the door while Ben is examining the armor pieces.

"He left that armor with me when the Jedi Order kicked him out," she says, anger in her tone. "Kicked him out for doing the right thing, for working with me to keep the former Emperor from devouring all life in the galaxy." There is guilt there in the Force, at that. "Too many memories to keep and too many memories to throw away, I think. It can be hard to tell with you Jedi, keeping your emotions to yourselves as much as you do." She smiles at him, then places the tray on her bed.

Whatever a Coruscanti Breakfast is, it smells good!

[acertainpov]

"I would have felt the same way about my armor, I'm sure."

Except he left Coruscant with little more than the robes on his back and the babe in his arms. No time to worry about the sentiment attached to things.

...not that he has any sentiment attached to things.

"Now I haven't eaten this well in ten years," he says, as soon as the tray is set down.

There are eggs.

[last_kallig]

Ibani nods.

"I need to feed you more often, then," she teases when he says he hasn't eaten this well in ten years.

She eats slowly but methodically, appreciating the food.

Breakfast first, then time to get armored up and go get shot at by droids!

"Do you want a hand with getting the armor on?" Ibani can very nearly get hers on in her sleep, but she's been wearing it for twenty years!

[acertainpov]

"I think I can manage," Ben says almost on reflex, as reluctant to accept offered help as he is to ask for it. "It's similar enough to what I used to wear."

That wasn't for as long, but it felt like he'd never be free of it.

[last_kallig]

"All right," Ibani replies, smiling. "I'll go and armor up in the 'fresher."

He might be shy about changing in front of her, after all. Because there's no way those robes are fitting UNDER the armor. Over, yes, under, no.

When Ibani comes out of the fresher with her armor on, her body language has changed. A widening of stance, a change in the position of her shoulders. Temporal and Force power, authority, control, the faintest touch of arrogance. SITH. These are as much a part of the disguise as the armor, as much a mask as the one that hides her face.

[acertainpov]

That may be the difference between a lone warrior and a general in a thousand-strong army. Ben lost any inclinations towards physical modesty a long time ago. But he shanges while she's changing, his volumnous robes folded and set upon his chair, the armor - what there is of it because Jedi ahve always preferred freedom of movement to actual protection - still affording a few of brown and tan undergarments.

When she emerges, he's looking at himself in the mirror over the dresser, wondering his his beard is too unruly for a serious Jedi Master, but he decides it's fine.

If it hurts to see another friend in the armour of a sith, hiding themselves behind anger and power and dark, he doesn't show it when he turns back and smiles warmly at her.

"I think that makes you look taller."

[last_kallig]

"I actually am, a few centimeters," Ibani confesses. "It helped people take me seriously at first, being slightly taller. And not showing how young I was, at 20."

She laughs. "Definitely don't need THAT effect anymore."

"Thankfully I'd already commandeered a starfighter before I came to Milliways, less potential for awkward questions."

Once they go through the door to Ibani's universe, the starfighter waiting for them is closer in build to an X-Wing than a TIE fighter. "After you," Ibani says quietly. "I have a feeling I'll need to be in a near trance state to hold the cloak once we come out of hyperspace."

[acertainpov]

Closer, but different enough that when in the pilot's seat, Ben takes a good few seconds looking over all the controls. It's nice to have the opportunity to figure things out before taking off in a hurry.

"I should warn you I've not actually piltoed anything in years," he says, but without much concern, as he fires her up and points her out into space.

[last_kallig]

"I'm sure you still have much more experience than I do," Ibani replies.

The ship answers readily to his commands, no bizarre controls or peculiar systems here! (Any Sith Empire Engineer trying to pass off something like the TIE fighter, notoriously hard on its pilots, would have been executed for their incompetence.)

The hyperspace trip is calm, thankfully. "Shielding at the speed we'll be traveling at will be no small feat. Going to be like doing very advanced calculus in my head." She sends a feeling of warmth and amusement to him, since her helmet hides her grin. "So don't panic if I don't respond right away, unless I'm not breathing."

Ibani builds the Force cloak slowly as they approach their exit from hyperspace. It is a complicated tangle of energies, suppressing sensory information, distorting it, making what IS vanish into what ought to be.

When they emerge from hyperspace, the Foundry hangs in space like a moon, a moon armed with hundreds of enormous guns. Bits of debris and the odd chunk of rock show up on the starfighter's sensors. One piece, a chunk of debris larger than their starfighter, crosses paths with a sensor station and several guns swivel to target it. Ions glow around their barrels and streak out toward the piece of debris, turning it to vapor.

[acertainpov]

The shield masks them from outsiders not the other way around, but Ben still finds it easier as they approach to close his eyes and sense their way towards the Foundry, finding the dock and easing their way in among the existing star fighters and one crashed Republic shuttle.

It's strange, this complete lack of reaction to them - he has to be extra careful not to actually hit anything or anyone who would usually give them space - but eventually he does come to a satisfactory landing and shuts off their engines, before reaching a hand to Ibani's hip to let her know they're there.

[last_kallig]

There are at least two dozen droids in the hanger, some patrolling, others stationary.

Ibani smiles at Ben as he touches her hip and she opens her eyes. The smile turns to a frown suddenly as she senses two Jedi approaching. One of them, one of them she knows.

"Nomar Organa," she growls. "I let the karking bastard live twenty years ago, and now here we are." There is a small stab of guilt at the fact that she let him live. It might not have made any difference, of course, and there's no way of knowing what might have been, but even so...

[acertainpov]

"Organa," Ben repeats, low. "Alderaan?"

He hopes he's not going to have to kill Bail's ancestor. For now he doesn't move, just listens to the sensation of both Jedi outside their ship.

They feel so different from any Jedi of his own era, it's strange.

[last_kallig]

"House Organa on Alderaan, yes. There are rather a lot of them, and there are a few current Jedi that were born into that House. Nomar should be in his sixties now, I think."

So even in the unlikely event that he IS Bail's ancestor, given the Jedi stance on attachment, he's probably already made that contribution, as it were.

"Don't recognize the other Jedi," she says after a moment. "So they're not one of his former Padawans."

"I won't be able to hide the ship once we move away from it, and I doubt we can count on them being stupid enough not to notice it appearing. One good widespread salvo from the droids and we could kiss any force cloak goodbye in any case. On the other hand, if we approach openly, we might give them pause. Darth Imperious has something of a reputation."

[acertainpov]

Ben nods thoughtfully, rubbing his beard as he continues to listen to their surroundings.

"I'll let you take the lead then, Darth Imperious," he says, because she'll be able to lever that reputation and they may be able to avoid some conflict, although he'll admit that's unlikely.

"When it does come to it, why don't you take the two Jedi we can see? I'll handle the droids and any others."

His hand finally moves, not to his lightsaber, but to the control of the cabin hatch, and he looks at her, waiting for the okay to open it.

[last_kallig]

Ibani nods in agreement with his plan, then gives the okay to open the hatch.

As she steps out, and before she uncloaks, she pulls her anger up, ready to wield it like the lightsaber that ignites in her left hand. But underneath that anger, where these hypocritical Jedi will never see it, burns a bright love and a desire to protect HER people. Ben, of course, but also the people of the Empire in a broad sense.

She ignites the lightsaber in her right hand as she drops the cloak and strides forward, the sound of her armored boots somehow unnaturally loud.

Nomar Organa's head snaps to her as soon as the cloak drops, and the other Jedi, a female Nautolan, follows his head movement only a moment later. "Darth Imperious," Nomar Organa says, moving his blue bladed lightsaber into a guard position. IF they are afraid, they do not show it in their faces or in the Force, for they are Jedi.

"Nomar Organa," Ibani replies, voice turned slightly metallic by the mask. "I'm afraid I don't know the name of your friend, there."

Then the Jedi both notice Ben. Nomar Organa meets Ben's eyes for a moment, and there is a sense in his face and in the Force that he is measuring Ben against some standard and finding him wanting. "I had heard rumors that you had seduced Jedi to your cause, Imperious," he replies, tone still as calm as ever.

"Seduced, really?" Ibani drawls and gives an eyeroll that is palpable in the Force. "Someone has been reading entirely too many holo-novels."

She's never seduced ANYONE, never mind Ben!

The Jedi are hanging back, cautious. Surprisingly cautious perhaps, considering how they outnumber their enemies!

[acertainpov]

There's every reason to find Ben wanting. He looks at least a decade older than his years, he moves slowly and calmly, as if he has not the slightest idea of the weight of the situation he's walked into, and of course he has no Force presence at all - just a silly old man pretending to be a Jedi.

He smiles politely, offers a nod of greeting to Nomar and the woman and then his eyes flicker elsewhere.

It's obvious, when you know what you're looking for. The Force flows through all things, but it doesn't flow through everything equally. Jedi can influence its flow but even that leaves its ripples. And like light passing through a ray shield, the Force bends as it passes through barriers.

He smiles briefly at the place where the Force bends, like light passing through a perfect crystal, and then turns his attention to Organa.

"Hello," he says calmly, "Ben Kenobi. I don't believe we've had the pleasure."

He stands to Ibani's right shoulder, his body positioned slightly at an angle so between them their angle of vision is wider than horizontal and so they both have room to move their arms. His lightsaber held in both hands at his centre, he finally ignites it, the last one in the docking bay to do so.

"Did I miss out on some seduction?" he asks Ibani in a stage whisper, knowing perfectly well that he'll have to answer for any flirtation later, but not caring in the moment.

[last_kallig]

Nomar looks as old as Ben, but age doesn't mean all THAT much when it comes to Jedi. (Look at Master Yoda, for example!)

The place where the Force bends keeps moving, moving to try to position itself behind Ibani. Awww, someone's probably planning a backstab, how adorable!

The female Nautolan catches Ben's smile at seemingly empty space and she's suddenly taking him seriously, or at least more seriously than Nomar Organa.

"You've chosen the wrong side, Kenobi," Nomar replies in answer to his greeting. He's full of the calm, terrible, certainty that he's doing the right thing, the necessary thing for the greater good. Ben's life is just one more that must end to see justice done.

Damn it, Ben! This is why Ibani isn't sure if she should actually try to seduce you or not! Ibani stage whispers back, flirtation in her tone and the Force. "Missed a memo apparently. I could make it up to you later, if you like?"

The female Nautolan introduces herself, the light of her green lightsaber almost matching her skin. "I am called Kell Daree, Ben Kenobi." Ben can sense that she doesn't want to kill him, which is rather ironic considering just how many billions of innocents these Jedi are planning to destroy. "It is never too late to turn back to the light, brother, no matter how long you have walked with darkness."

"Flee this station, or perish," Ibani demands. "I have defeated your kind here before, and I shall again. I destroyed the former Emperor, a walking wound in the Force and the closest thing to a tangible god this galaxy has yet had the misfortune to know. You will spend your blood for nothing, if you stand against us."

Nomar's gaze at Ibani turns contemptuous. "The dark side leeches off the light like a foul disease. It's time someone cut this cancer out."

[acertainpov]

"Sorry, can't agree," Ben says to Nomar. But his eyes meet the warm nebulas of Kell Daree's with a warm smile and a nod of acknowledgment. No one really wants to kill anyone, he seems to imply, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

He stands closer to Ibani, his left shoulder circling and tensing until they are touching, shoulder to shoulder. He doesn't need to face the cloak - he's not following it with his eyes.

"I just really don't think genocide is the way of the Light."

[last_kallig]

"It is a heavy and difficult thing we do here," Kell Daree replies, her voice solemn. "But our actions here will ensure peace for the galaxy, for the Republic." There is the tiniest hint of doubt in the Force from her though, one small enough that only Ben will catch it.

"There is no death, there is the Force," Nomar Organa adds.

"You flarking self-righteous hypocrite," she snarls at Organa. Every droid in the docking bay turns its guns toward Ibani.

[acertainpov]

Ben keeps his eyes locked with Kell's, ignoring everything around them - the droids, the cloak, the growing tension between Nomar and Ibani, everything - and shakes his head. There is nothing in the Force from him, of course, but for a second his eyes carry just a fraction of the regret he has not yet managed to let go.

"If you do this," he tells her softly, "you'll do it to yourself - you'll never find peace after that."

He doesn't lower his lightsaber, which rather belies his talk of peace. It's not true, anyway - that 'never.' He has to believe that even the worst of the Dark Side users can be brought back, no matter what they've done. But it's easier if it happens before that.

[last_kallig]

"What is one life, compared to the lives of all?" Kell asks him. "Even if there is no peace for me, is not peace for my people enough?" But the crack of doubt is widening.

The droids are moving closer now, eight droids encircling the two of them while the droids more distant move into range. (And from the sounds they can hear, there are more coming. A lot more.) The invisible Jedi has stopped behind the encircling droids, not wanting to be in their line of fire.

It is Nomar Organa who snaps first, who breaks this standoff. "Open fire!" he orders the droids. But Ibani is ready with a force shield that can take the brunt of the fire if needed. As she anticipated, none of it is aimed at Ben, yet.

"My turn," Ibani announces. She calls the Force into her, manifests her anger into the universe as force lightning. A sphere of purplish lightning spreads out from her body, enveloping both Ben and any droids in range.

The metal of the droids' bodies blackens, tears, circuits and servos frying as the power of the blast rips into them. The Dark side is very good at destruction and Ibani is a master at Force lightning, with no living equal in its application.

The power rolls over Ben, but it does not harm him. He can smell ozone, feel an electric tingle on his skin, but nothing more. The Force will tell him that he is perfectly safe, that Ibani would sooner turn this power on herself than on him.

In less than three seconds, any droids still standing within the blast radius will be reduced to wreckage. Then, she leaps at Organa planning on taking the fight to him!

[acertainpov]

Ben doesn't appear to move until the first droid moves its trigger finger. Then he steps lightly in a gentle arc, his shoulders sliding along the outside of Ibani's Force shield as he puts himself in the way of the blaster fire. His lightsaber moves sparingly, efficiently, intercepting every blast that aims at Ibani.

And every single blast is deflected square into the area of cloak that had the arrogance to assume they could sneak up on Ibani.

Ibani was right. A salvo of blaster fire destroys the Force cloak, leaving the Jedi underneath - a male Mirialan - entirely exposed and having to deflect the blasts on his own.

As the Force lightning passes over him, he lays off, bringing his lightsaber back to a neutral position.

"What do you think, Kell Daree?" he asks over the crackle of electricity, "Will they have peace? Or will they know fear?"

Only when the Force lightning has passed over them, destroying the droids and removing the threat of the blaster fire, is the Mirialan able to bring the fight to Ben. Ben meets him, green saber met with blue, blocking every attack.

He has not moved a foot away from where he was standing next to Ibani.

[last_kallig]

The male Mirialan is young, he can't have been a knight long, and he is wearing himself out rapidly trying to get a hit in on Ben. Clearly, he was depending on surprise to give him a much needed opening blow!

Ibani is pressing Nomar Organa heavily with both brief bursts of force lightning and both lightsabers. His armor already bears deep marks from her lightsabers and his flesh hasn't gone entirely uninjured by the force lightning either.

Kell Daree moves to support Nomar, to join in the fight against Ibani, but Ibani catches her with a burst of force lightning meant to disable rather than wound. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to cut in without asking?" she quips to Daree.

Kell Daree gasps as her skeletal muscles contract erratically and she falls prone. She'll undoubtedly get her muscles working properly again in a few seconds, with her Jedi training.

Nomar Organa pushes Ibani with the Force, sends her back twenty feet, keeping Ibani from landing a blow on Kell Daree while she's down.

Kell Daree gets the contractions under control and stands. "The Sith are monsters, Kenobi. They murder, they torture, they enslave wherever they go. They must be stopped, at any cost."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ibani replies, tone sharp with bitter sarcasm. "You're planning on murdering billions of innocent children, but I'm the monster?"

[acertainpov]

Ben does move eventually - he steps sharply to the side as Ibani is pushed towards his back, and lets her fly past him and his opponent harmlessly. She doesn't need his help there.

He switches his lightsaber to one hand, so he can continue to parry while looking at Daree and gesturing widely towards Ibani at her remark.

She's got a point.

The Mirialan is young, foolish, distracted by his anger enough to misread this as an opening, and when he tries to press it, Ben decides he's had enough. A twist of his own saber and the green lightsaber goes scuttling across the deck, leaving its wielder nursing a hand that's bruised from where Ben's saber hilt hit him sharply in the wrist, disabling rather than severing.

The Force sends the weapon further than it would normally go. Arguably it could be called back to someone's hand, but just once Ben is hoping no one's going to be that stupid.

[last_kallig]

Kell Daree moves to attack Kenobi, seeing that the young knight is disarmed and therefore vulnerable.

Her lightsaber meets his, and she looks in his eyes. "They must be stopped, they MUST." But the crack of doubt is widening, guilt beginning to seep in.

Regrettably, the Mirialan is that stupid, and calls the lightsaber back to his hand. He's more cautious now, having to switch the lightsaber to his off hand.

"Do not allow yourself to be deceived, Kell!" Nomar Organa calls to Kell Daree. "We are doing what must be done, without passion, for the good of the galaxy!"

"Liar," Ibani taunts him. "You're lying to yourself, Jedi," she says, a twist of her voice and the Force turning the word Jedi into the foulest possible curse.