Golden Age of the Republic: Ghostly Images/Part 1

Chapter 1
"And what have we sacrificed in the name of so-called peace? Only true peace. All we've done is appease evil, not secure good."

- Alta Eddicus

As suddenly as the fiery blast had engulfed the hallway, a large portion of the ceiling collapsed. The sound was deafening, and she tried to duck out of the way. A large slab of duracrete fell and crushed the scrambling senator's feet, sending a wave of excruciating pain through her body. After a moment of agony, the residual sensations only resembled something on the order of a stiff punch in the hips. Alta Eddicus, the senator from Tanaab and daughter of the Supreme Chancellor, was pinned beneath a slab of duracrete somewhere in the middle of the thirty-seventh floor.

Luckily for her, nothing had fallen atop her head, but it was of little consolation. Blood appeared to be coming from her left leg, a leg she could not even feel. In fact, the senator had no feeling in her body from the waist down. Her hips and pelvis screamed with pain every time she shifted against the jagged edges of the debris in an attempt to see the source of the blood. The efforts were for naught.

The stillness of the Probitas pro populus corridor was only shattered by crackling and a small hissing from broken wires and vents. From her vantage point, Eddicus only was able to see that at least two floors had partially collapsed in the blast. No other bodies were spotted above, as she peered through the gaping hole in the ceiling.

"Is anybody there?" she shouted upward. Her voice was coarsened by the dense cloud of dust she was perpetually inhaling. "Anybody? I'm trapped!"

Only silence answered her pleas. Her datapad was nowhere to be found. Even if it was spotted, how would she reach it? No, no one knew she was there. No one knew she was alive. Her best hope was to wait patiently for the first responders to arrive and rescue her. In the meantime, she needed to quell the bleeding.

Taking her partially seared jacket and forcing it against her leg, she probed the area for the blood-source. After a moment of exploration, she realized that a sharp point on the slab seemed to have bayoneted her left leg most of the way through. With the heavy duracrete still embedded in her body, there was absolutely no way she possessed the ability to unpin herself, even if the slab was slightly moveable.

Senator Eddicus tucked the jacked against her thigh with as much pressure as possible, hoping to slow the bleeding. In only a matter of time, she feared, blood-loss would cause her to feel nauseated and even render her unconscious. Her priorities immediately shifted to calling for help and remaining as calm and collected as possible.

Periodically she called out to the open chasm in the building. For what seemed like days, Alta sat, waiting. Could it have been really days? No, but to the struggling senator, who was gradually growing weary-eyed and nauseated, it seemed like time had stopped. Hoping to conserve energy, she laid back on the rubble. It was not comfortable, but it was better than sitting upright the entire time. She just needed to stay conscious. Surely someone would arrive to rescue her, she surmised. At least, she hoped.

&mdash; &mdash; &mdash;

A blunt shockwave in the Force washed over the meditating Jedi Master. He opened his eyes and gazed across the small room aboard the Mally. Something was amiss, but he was not sure as to why he sensed it. He seldom dealt with the day-to-day affairs of the galaxy, sequestering himself to archaeological matters. Master Greystone was not without empathy, however, so his sense in the Force meant something substantial had just occurred.

The Jedi Master exited the quarters and walked into the long starboard-side corridor of the vessel. He moseyed into the lounge area, where Dawn Starskipper was quietly eating a piece of fruit and reading a book. Leaving her be, he continued around the circuit to the ladeboard, or port, side of the vessel where the interrogation room and small conference room were. He peaked in at the meeting that Evening Delwynn was holding with Lieutenant Danstari and Asana Lani. Emra was providing images and they appeared to be discussing the meat of the case, undoubtedly peeling through every bit of analyzable data.

Master Greystone continued one door down to the computer lab and walked to the nearest station. He opted to pull up the Core Worlds HoloNet News feed, even though there was some interference from being in hyperspace and traveling so quickly. The feed came to life with a commercial for some type of skin lotion designed for Rodians. He shrugged and flipped the feed to the main HoloNet News feed.

Breaking news interrupted the programming, as the Jedi Master took a seat in a chair near the door. Even through the little bits of static and interference, it was plainly clear that the anchor was talking about a bombing on Coruscant. He focused on the scene in the images, it was clearly the Senate Office Building. Smoke was billowing up from the building, and an area of the dome appeared to have collapsed. As the dialogue between the anchor, a terrorism expert, and the head of CorSec continued, Master Greystone slowly rose from his seat and wandered back into the hallway. He stopped just outside the open door to the meeting room.

"Agent Delwynn," he said ceremoniously, interrupting the meeting.

"Master Greystone," she replied. It was obvious she was displeased. At the same time, she would have ignored interruptions that were not serious. Having called her 'Agent Delwynn' instead of something more familiar, the Jedi Master indicated the need for the interruption.

"You need to see what's on HoloNet News. It's urgent," he stated straightly.

Evening nodded at the astromech droid to her left. Emra beeped and whirred as she redirected the HoloNet feed to the projector. Updated images of the bombing were being shown, provoking sighs and mutterings from Danstari. Asana sat, mouth agape. Delwynn shook her head and stood. She gestured toward the Jedi Master to leave as she began her march toward the door. Stalling his gait in the hallway, the two meet near the computer lab doors and began slowly trotting together.

"I feel like I'm fighting the whole galaxy," the GIN agent said disdainfully.

"There is no guarantee&mdash;" Master Greystone started.

"That they're connected?" she interrupted hastily. "I have to leave that possibility open, no matter how remote it might be."

He returned with pleas. "That's fair, Evening, but focus on what you do know. You're nearing a break in the case. I can feel it."

"I can prove that Czerka's involved," Delwynn responded while nodding. "The plot's buried deep, but Hazar Tordana is definitely involved. There's some connection between him and Zranik that I just cannot quite decipher. They have definitely known each other for many years. And, it's not because they're just businessmen. No, they've really known each other. Personally."

"What about that young financier?" the Jedi Master asked.

"She's a pawn," the agent flatly returned. "Master, I need motive; I need cause. I have neither. As far as I know, these two men&mdash;and anyone else who's decided to get involved&mdash;are just doing this, that, and the other thing for the fun of it. Nothing makes sense."

"How are you sleeping?" he asked.

"What?" she answered with surprise. The pair stopped walking, having moved all the way around the ship to Delwynn's office.

"Are you sleeping well? At all?" Master Greystone inquired further.

"No," Delwynn answered straightway. "I'm not sleeping much. Every time I fall asleep images from the Alsakan heist come flooding into my mind. I don't sleep well with that."

"Regularly?" he probed.

"I go eleven years with maybe a dream every-other-month," she lamented. "Since meeting that&hellip; that&hellip; man&hellip; thing on Eriadu, it's been nightly."

"Can you identify any of the other robbers in the dream other than him?" the Jedi queried.

"Master," Delwynn sighed. "Please don’t go there. I've been trying to do that for eleven years."

"Fair enough," he replied. "I'm sorry to have brought it up again. I just know that the heists are connected to this in some way."

"Now there," she hastily retorted. "Yes, there you're right. Zranik suddenly started his business venture two years after the heist with just under one third of the monies stolen as his financial backing."

"But there were four thieves," Master Greystone added.

Delwynn sighed. "I know. One of them must have either not been in on the cut or killed with the spoils divided a maximum of three ways. Unless&hellip;"

The agent's voice trailed into nothingness as she stared down the corridor blankly. Master Greystone knew she was having a flashback as her face became wrenched. The silence permeated the corridor, but he wanted not to interrupt. Delwynn's trance-like state broke only a minute later, and she scrambled back down the hall toward the bridge.

"Unless what?" the Jedi Master called, now curious as to what the agent was thinking. He knew she was not intending to respond, so he took off after her down the hallway, following her around the curve in the corridor, past the bridge, and into the meeting room.

"Emra," Delwynn called. "With me, now. Urgent."

The droid beeped in affirmation and undocked itself from the computer terminal.

"Danstari, we're on pace for Coruscant?" the agent inquired as she continued barking orders.

"Yes. Why, boss?" he replied with curiosity.

"Man the cockpit in case we have a change in plans," she said. "If my suspicions are correct, we're heading to Alsakan."

"Alsakan?" Asana interrupted. "We're supposed to meet with the chancellor to tell him about the connections between Czerka, EIE, and Dark Moon."

"We will, but I think we might have something important to take care of," Delwynn answered. "In the meantime, send a message to Slorfit on Thyferra to have Tordana arrested and brought to Coruscant. From what you've told me, he could already be thrown in jail. Just be ready in case we need to change course."

Asana nodded and Delwynn fled the room, Master Greystone and Emra in tow. The trio marched into the computer lab, where the agent sealed the door shut.

"Okay, Evening, what have you figured out?" Master Greystone pressed as soon as the lock engaged.

"All these years, I've been looking for four beings," Delwynn moaned, proceeding toward the center of the room. "That's the problem. There weren't four; there were only three. One of those thieves must have been a droid."

Master Greystone was curious as to this sudden revelation. This very strongly went against some of what he knew regarding the heists.

"Emra, pull up the video from the Alsakan heist," the agent barked. "Show me the thief at the door."

The droid obliged, and docked with a computer. Only a moment later, the scene came to life on one of the screens. The Jedi Master huddled near it with his protégé. They watched as the robbery unfolded&mdash;all fifteen arduous minutes of it. All the while, the heavily masked thief at the doorway failed to move very far. He was also very frail looking for a Human and surprisingly tall, approaching two meters in height per the doorframe measurement lights.

"He's almost entirely stationary," Master Greystone noted. "Perhaps he's the lookout?"

"Who better to scan than a droid?" Delwynn remarked. "I've thought it odd for years that we'd be tracking a man two meters tall and that thin."

"But I thought the survivors in the bank said four Humans had done it," the Jedi Master interjected, moving the conversation forward. "That was a common theme at all of the heists, no?"

"How would they know if this one was never interacted with?" she asked, right eyebrow arching in curiosity. "Every bit of each thief is covered. No one would have known it was a droid and not a Human&mdash;especially if there was no conversation."

"True," he conceded. "Can you prove it?"

Delwynn sighed. "Other than the fact that droids don't need money, not yet. That's why we need to go to Alsakan."

"And what would you do there?" Master Greystone asked. He was suddenly concerned with her motivations. "You have all the police files already."

Delwynn stammered, unable to answer. Having been her teacher and friend for so many years, the Jedi Master knew the answer. She honestly did not know. The thought that there may have only been three sentient thieves was a potential breakthrough in the cold case, but she needed more corroborating evidence.

"What about the other robberies?" he added. "Does the profile fit?"

Delwynn gave a gesture to Emra and the droid dutifully flipped through each video file. This time the files were played in accelerated speed, taking only about two minutes to view each heist. In each, one of the robbers stood near the doorway and aimed a blaster rifle at the people. The operations were identical&mdash;flawlessly, in fact. Other than the nuances of bank layout, one video could have been played in place of the other and no one would have ever known.

"I think we've answered that," Delwynn said.

"So why do we need to go to Alsakan, Evening?" Master Greystone inquired again.

"I feel like we can actually get answers there," she pleaded.

The Jedi Master nodded and took a deep breath. It was apparent that she felt the need to further investigate the one place she knew best. The agent was scratching at the surface, hoping anything would crumble off and be useful.

"Might I suggest&hellip;" he began.

"That I continue to Coruscant, take care of my business there, and then go to Alsakan?" she asked, guessing the end of his thought.

"Exactly," the Jedi Master stated flatly.

Delwynn looked softly and nodded. Without saying other word she turned and walked over to the door. Unlocking it, she looked back at her former teacher with pain-filled eyes. Then, the agent continued into the hallway and to the bridge.

"She's going to get some sleep, isn't she, Emra?" Master Greystone asked the droid rhetorically.

The droid did not respond, but it instead quietly undocked from the computer and followed its master into the corridor and around the corner. In the depths of his being, the Jedi Master knew it was not time for Delwynn to return to the Alsakan scene.

&mdash; &mdash; &mdash;

Still lying on her back, Senator Eddicus sighed in pain. She had been willing herself to keep from descending into medical shock. 'A few minutes more,' she continuously chided herself mentally. While beginning to fade, she turned her head to the left. A large crack and been forming in the aftermath of the blast from floor to ceiling. It had gradually been getting wider, wide enough that there was a small gap that a hand could fit through. Oh, how she longed for someone’s hand to appear and rescue her.

Suddenly, Alta noticed a soft flickering in the small gap. The flickering gradually turned brighter until a small directional flame appeared. It began moving, eventually out of sight, then back to where it had started. The piece of wall immediately above that flame crashed to the floor, and the commotion of first responders filled the space.

"I'm over here," Alta called excitedly. The adrenaline was most definitely beginning to kick in again. "I'm on the other side of the wall!"

Men and women in their protective gear started breaking through the cracked duracrete wall that the senator had been peering through. To the best of her ability, she turned to her side, as if to protect herself from the crumbling facade. A burst of light shined on her from the newly formed hole. Turning to look, it appeared as if the light was from Coruscant's sun. How could the sun be shining through hundreds of meters of building? The thought suddenly struck her: how much of the building had collapsed?

Three first responders quickly came to Alta's side, but they were incomprehensible. She was suddenly feeling overwhelmed and fearful.

"My legs are pinned," she wailed. "I can't feel them."

One of the men gestured for a small crew to begin lifting the large slab.

"Wait! Part of it is embedded in my left leg," she said before they were able to do anything other than position themselves.

A medical droid hovered over the rubble and descended to shoulder-level beside the laying senator.

"If they lift it slowly, we can get my leg off of the protrusion," Alta calmly asserted.

"Is it embedded in your leg now?" the medic asked in an unusual accent by Coruscanti standards.

"Yes, I believe so. I can't feel it, but I probed it with my hands," she replied, lifting her bloodied left hand.

"Then slowly it shall be," the droid responded. "I will be down there to help cover and cauterize the wound."

The droid moved into position near the ground and a few objections began protruding from one of its sides. The head of the first responders then gestured to lift the slab. The men positioned around it began the arduous task of hoisting it even a couple of centimeters.

"Gurney," the droid commanded to those waiting in the other room. At the same time, it quickly went to work under the duracrete debris. After a brief moment it pulled out.

Alta looked on with fear as she watched the men begin lifting the slab. She felt nothing at all. The chief, as she believed he was, immediately put his arms under hers, ready to slide her out from the rubble. Suddenly, the building shook, causing two of the men with the slab to lose their balance and drop the duracrete.

"She's losing stability, we need to hurry before this floor collapses," the chief shouted. "Try again."

The men graciously gave another effort. This time, it was lifted about thirty centimeters off the ground. It was just enough as the chief grabbed Alta from behind on her left rib and right breast and gently dragged her out of the debris pile. The gurney was quickly set next to the senator. Still in a somewhat reclined position, Alta was propped and hoisted. As she looked at her lower body, a sudden dizziness swept over her. Her right leg was completely crushed and flattened. From her angle, she could not tell the status of her left foot. Had it been severed mid-thigh? As she was dragged onto the gurney, something fell from her dress and onto the floor.

"Is that my foot?" Alta wailed, hoping that this was some illusion. Fear and terror finally overcame the senator; she felt control and inhibition slipping away from her. A quick prick in her shoulder followed. As instantaneously as the image had horrified her, she fainted.