Danse Macabre/Part 18

"Analysis confirms nerve damage is temporary, likely brought on by tachycardia, which has largely faded," the medical droid noted. "This causal relationship is common in Wroonians and many other near-Human species."

"Like Pantorans?" Tirien asked dryly.

"My databases indicate so, yes sir."

Tirien found he didn't have the heart to make the correction; the very idea of dwelling on something so small and meaningless hurt. "Thank you."

As the droid walked off to the next patient in the office that had become a makeshift triage room, Tirien raised his sword hand, opening and closing his fingers slowly, willing healing energy into his limbs. Narasi walked over, still in her dress but with a bacta patch on her shoulder. "How are you?"

She just shook her head and sat beside him, rubbing her arm. Tirien sighed. "Kenza's right, Narasi. There's nothing you could have done.  If it weren't for you, the Vanguardian would just have killed the Chancellor sooner, and who knows how many other people.  You saved lives tonight."

"But I got so caught up…if I had been paying more attention…I could've…"

"What?" Tirien asked bluntly. "Un-poisoned them? Caught Darth Alecto when none of us did?"

Narasi bared her fangs. "Alecto. She has to die for this."

Tirien grimaced; he couldn't quite get a read on his apprentice's thoughts, but the look on her face said it all. Trying to control his own emotions, he said, "Narasi, I know you're upset; we all are. But don't let this lead you down a bad path."

"Upset?!" Narasi snapped. "Master, she killed the Chancellor! And Prince Taylo, and all those other people!  I'm way past upset!"

"And that's what worries me, Narasi. The dark side—"

"Aren't you angry?" she demanded. "That she murdered all those people and just got away?!"

"Of course I'm angry!" he snarled at her, and Narasi's eyes widened. "She was right there and I…and I…"

Tirien lowered his eyes from his apprentice's uneasy expression, reflecting on the truth of it. He was angry, but at himself. He knew Alecto better than any Jedi; Narasi might be forgiven, but he should have found her out. Even if it hadn't been in time, he should never have let her escape. But what to have done? Cut her down in cold blood when she was unarmed? That couldn't be the Jedi way, but letting her flee Anaxes without consequence…

He should have tried the strike, he told himself; consequences be damned, he should have tried to cut her down when he realized what she had done, before the poison had debilitated him. He had been too slow, though, too distracted, and she had gotten away, even taunted him with a cure that had come too late…

And what did that say? Alecto had given him the cure, even when he had told her he would save Phnyong. She couldn't have considered it worth the trade just to kill Tirien himself; the whole mission was to kill the Chancellor. Had she known that it was too late? Did she want him to live like this, suffering in the knowledge of his failure, hoping it would break him? Had she thought he would be vain enough to save himself, whatever the cost, and have to live with Phnyong's death, or Narasi's? Were she in custody, they could ask…

"You're right," he breathed. "I let her get away."

Narasi's face paled, and all the anger dropped off at once. "I didn't mean it like that."

"But it's true. I had her in the palm of my hand, and she slipped through my fingers."

"Master…" Narasi put a hand on his shoulder, worried now, though her fingers barely touched him; since she had snatched him back from death, she had been treating him like he was made of glass.

"Alecto will answer for this someday, Narasi—not out of hate, but because she has to. A crime like this can't go unanswered, not if the Jedi stand for any kind of justice at all." He gritted his teeth, trying to grapple with the enormity of it still; they had lost Phnyong. The Chancellor had died on their watch, and most of his Jedi protectors had the shame of surviving him. "I suppose I might even be around to see it, now."

Narasi flinched. "Are you…mad at me?"

Tirien sighed, trying to breathe out his feelings; meditative calm fled from him. "No, I just…no. Master Phnyong was dead before you even turned around.  And…we serve others, Narasi, never ourselves, but I put you in an impossible position.  I couldn't ask you to choose which of those people lived and which ones died, and I didn't have the focus to figure it out in time.  You did what you thought was right."

She looked down too, but scooted a little closer. "I didn't want you to die."

Was there too much attachment in there? Tirien tried to brush her thoughts, but came away with a confused impression of what she was really thinking; focusing too hard made his head ache, and he found he didn't have the energy for a lecture on attachment. Not now—not remembering his own reaction when he thought of her being poisoned. Rubbing his temple, he said only, "Thank you for saving me."

They sat in silence until Kenza appeared; Tirien hadn't sensed her coming, but he saw she had changed into her Jedi robes. "I just got off the comm with Coruscant. Masters Cazars and Towla are coming here."

Tirien tried to stand, but Kenza and Narasi pushed him back down. Rolling his eyes, he said, "What's going on there? Has the Vice Chancellor assumed command?"

"For now," Kenza said; Tirien wasn't sure what to make of the way she pursed her lips. "They're sending out the alert to the naval commands. Mali'll be ready for whatever Aresh throws at him."

"Were they really in this together?" It still seemed unbelievable.

"The snipers and Dijir were killed by Anzati," Kenza confirmed. "But those Vanguardians were gonna come through the roof. The Anzati must've cleared the way for them."

Two of Aresh's elite had challenged Kenza alone, and they had both died for it. Her face showed she wasn't interested in praise, and Tirien could not work up the motivation to offer it, but some small corner of his mind found room to be deeply impressed, especially given how close the other Vanguardians had brought Doli, Raven, and Narasi to death. "And they were definitely with Alecto. Did Vandak loan them to her?"

"I dunno, Tirien, I get the sense Vandak's kinda doing his own thing these days."

Tirien had heard the reports too. "They did call Alecto Master."

Kenza shook her head. "If Darth Alecto's in charge of Vandak's people now, we're in big trouble."

"What about the Vanguardians at the ball?" Narasi asked. "How'd they get in?"

"They must've had inside help," Tirien said. "Senator Falt brought the one you fought; I don't know about the other." A second Vanguardian had lurked in the larger ballroom; he had wounded both Doli and Raven before they had finally brought him down.

"Well, that's a dead end—literally," Kenza said. "Falt got poisoned too."

Tirien grimaced—he did not mourn the traitor, but lamented the knowledge that had died with her. "So she didn't know what Alecto was doing."

"Collaborating and backstabbing at the same time? Yeah, that sounds like the Sith we know and loathe."

"Senator Falt…she was from Kuat?" Narasi asked.

"Yes."

"Well…what about Khofin of Knylenn? What if he was in on it?  He tried to get me out of the room."

Tirien and Kenza exchanged a glance. Tirien knew his apprentice had no reason to love the First Secretary, and he rather loathed the man himself, but… "Because you're a Jedi, or because you're a Zygerrian?"

Narasi hesitated. "I…don't know."

"Well, that's enough for me," Kenza said. "We'll pick him up. If he's in on this, we can't let him get away.  And if he's not, a couple hours of interrogation'll serve him right for being a jerk."

"Kenza—"

She sighed, running her hands through her long hair. "Yeah, Tirien, I know. I know what you're gonna say, and you're right.  But even apart from him being a jerk, better safe than sorry, right?"

Tirien remembered Khofin hovering over Phnyong's body, looking genuinely anguished. But he remembered the body, too, the good man who was dead because his protectors had failed him, and even as grief squeezed his lungs yet again, the heart between them hardened. "Pick him up."

Kenza relayed the order on her comlink, then Tirien asked, "Where are the others?"

"The med droids are tending Doli. Raven was insisting on calling Coruscant himself; To'ong and I almost had to Force him down, but they're patching up his arm now.  To'ong's with…with the body.  That Blue Guard's still there too.  He won't leave, he won't sit down…"

Kenza's voice trembled a little. Narasi stood, wrapping an arm around her friend's waist; Kenza put one around her shoulders, mindful of her wound.

"We'll go up," Tirien said, ignoring their protests as he got to his feet. "Who else?"

"They're still identifying everyone, but Commandant Wermis, Prince Taylo of Alderaan, Senator Yukorskut from Alsakan…"

"Senator Iltek? Glavial Iltek, of Taanab?"

"I don't know."

Tirien and Narasi exchanged a look. "We should go up and find out—see how we can help. Narasi, where's my lightsaber?"

He had set it aside for the droid's full-body scan. Narasi looked over his shoulder. "The table—I'll get it for you."

"I can do it," Tirien said, exasperated, and he extended a hand.

The lightsaber didn't move.

Tirien frowned, focusing the Force around the hilt of Mali's weapon…except that as he tried to trace the contours of it with his mind, he couldn't feel them. He pushed with the Force to rattle the table…except that he didn't.

"Master?"

Tirien looked from Narasi to Kenza, reaching out for their minds, but he heard nothing. Eyes widening, he asked, "Narasi, what am I thinking right now?"

Narasi, he thought, concentrating on her name like a mantra. One thought had been enough to bring her roaring through the doors to his rescue only hours before. ''Narasi. NARASI.''

She shook her head. "I don't know."

Tirien turned wild eyes on Kenza, but she shook her head too. Looking around at the office, he found himself noticing desks pushed aside and cots brought down from the dormitories…because the Force wasn't filling in the gaps for him, painting the contours of the room in his mind. He thrust out his hands, focused enough that he could have shattered the desks against the walls, and nothing happened. There was only stillness.

Silence.

Both Kenza and Narasi were staring, but dread strangled Tirien's voice. "Master, what's wrong?"

"I…I can't feel the Force."