The Rising

Old Masters

Barris blushed as men stared at her exposed skin, Etain who was holding a player of food for the rather grotesque banking clan members did her best to smile politely.

"My your slave girls have started to become real beauties," said a particularly smelly member of the banking clan who was trying to drag Barris away from Etain.

"Not mine must belong to one of my wife's," said a skeletal-like man with his hands in a jar of something green and foul-smelling, "don't rape them Velibi you know how annoying a screaming voice can be". Barris let out a sigh of relief when Velibi let go of her before rushing to catch up with Etain.

"You ok" Etain whispered once they were out of earshot of the males.

"Uh-huh..." Barris whimpered as she tried to calm her heart down. "Don't worry the rest of this should be smooth sailing" Etain replied as they turned the corner to a large window. Barris smiled at the widow or more specifically who was behind it, Cody and the rest of the Omega squad hanging by a repel rope, Barris placed the large jug of wine that she was holding down on a little table before helping Etain open the window. 

It was a large stain glass window with depictions of dancers in little to no clothing all of whom were fixated on a banking clan member that was dressed in regal-looking robes.

Barris winced at the image before catching sight of her captain who grinned happily at her as he dangled off his repel.

The moment Cody scrambled through the window he hugged Barris tightly making Niner chuckle as he climbed through after him. once everyone was in the hallway Etain shut the door and started walking down the hallway with Darman behind her, Cody on the other hand kissed Barris gently as she clung onto his armor. "you ok?" Cody whispered as he tucked a stray hair out of her face, Barris shivered before nodding "I can still feel it, Cody, it's not natural" she whispered as Cody kissed her temple. 

"After this is all over I'm going to take you far far away from here...ok?" Cody whispered making Barris blush badly before Etain spoke "Guys can you save the makeout session for after the mission". 

Fi chuckled something that sounded a lot like 'Hypocryte', Darman slapped Fi on the backside of his head earning him a small kiss on the lips from his wife as Fi rubbed his head. Cody on the other hand gave Barris another kiss as she slipped her hand in his, he squeezed it gently as they began to sneak through the upper levels. 

It wasn't until they came to a large metal door that something happened. 

Niner barely made it two feet in front of it when Barris collapsed clutching her head with both hands. Cody barely managed to catch her before she banged her head on the marble floor, he tucked her close to him with her head cradled in his shoulder. Etain wasn't much better as she leaned on Darman for support, "what's wrong with them?" Fi whispered as he edged closer to Etain trying to get a look at her face. 

She was pale and he could see small purple veins along her neck, her eyes were cloudy as she swayed causing Darman to sweep her up into his arms. 

"What's wrong with them?" Niner asked as he pulled out a medical bag and tossed it to Fi. Fi shook his head "This doesn't make sense, it's only affecting them...Force-users...we're fine, it's just them". 

"Fix them!" Cody growled out as his eyes never left Barris's whose skin was now showing the purple veins to be creeping out more and more each passing second. 

"He cant," said a gravely but familiar voice from behind them. 

The clones turned around to see master Luminara. Her appearance had drastically changed, her robes now showed much more skin as well as parts of her body that had been replaced by machines. Her face had a strange mask covering her nose and mouth, her eyes were now glowing mechanical red as her sabers.

"There is no antidote to the poison that has been pumped into the upper levels, strange it only affects Jedi" Luminara mused.

Cody's grip tightened on Barris as he shook with rage, resisting the urge to shoot the woman robot before him.

Darman wasn't any better as he clutched a quickly deteriorating Etain. Corr, Atin, and Niner had already aimed their weapons at the fallen Jedi doing their best to cover the fallen Jedi behind them. Fi was already trying to get some vitals on Barris and Etain as Barris moved to stand on her own.

Cody drew his blaster as Barris activated her saber. "Master Luminara you have to fight him" Barris yelled trying to encourage her former mentor, "why on earth would I fight it little one. Unlike you, I and many others have seen the benefits that Darth Sidious can provide for the galaxy, he has even given me a new name....the same name he intended for you. Darth Abid" the sith said as she lazily looked down at her prey.

Cody gripped Barris's hand tightly his body trying to cover Barris as best he could. 

Barris on the other hand was fighting back tears from both the pain and the betrayal as she used Cody for support, both physically and through the force. 

Darth Abid loomed closer cackling as she did, then she lunged. 

Cody and the other shot at her but she simply deflected the shots and moved to land a deadly blow to Corr. She would have succeeded if it was not for a familiar blue lightsaber blocking her red one from cutting him to ribbons. 

Corr blinked before he caught sight of Barris's face, it was twisted in pain and rage as she drew her strength to throw Abid away from her small group. 

Corr and quite frankly everyone else was stunned, Cody on the other hand had flinched his training telling him to fire at the sith but his instincts telling him to wait. 

"You Bitch!!" Darth Abid screamed. 

Barris stood strong as she faced off against the sith, her posture and saber ready for a fight. 

"how?....." Abid growled at her confused. 

"The urge to fight is stronger when you have someone reminding you what you fight for" Barris panted out, Abid glanced at Cody understanding instantly what she meant. 

Cody on the other hand glared back at her his face like stone, though his body betrayed him slightly as he moved to stand just a little bit behind Barris. He felt a warm wave crash through him making him smile slightly as he realized how Barris was fighting the poison, she was using his natural strength and the force that ties them to help her. 

"You will die little lab rat" Abid yelled as she leaped forward again, intent on killing Cody. 

Barris on the other hand blocked the strike again and swung for her head. 

Cody was shocked before Darman yelled at him "VOD GET OVER HERE NOW!!!!". Cody looked back to see they had gotten the door open. He glanced back at Barris who nodded before he ran into the room, once he did he understood exactly why Darman yelled at him to come in. 

It was full of vials and bottles of strange liquids and gasses, though that wasn't what caught his attention first. That honor belonged solely to Fi who was messing with a strange device in the middle of the room.

"You said you could work it," Darman said as he cradled a barely conscious Etain, her skin was now fully covered in the purple veins as her hand gripped onto Darman's armor. 

Fi pulled vial after vial out of the assortment in the machine "If there is a poison....there has to be a .....ahha" He mumbled to himself as he held up a vial with light blue liquid to his scanner. 

He loaded up a hypospray and was about to apply it to Etain when he stopped, he looked up to a terrified Darman who looked ready to murder him "Why are you stopping?". 

"there's only enough for one shot" Fi whispered as he glanced to Cody who knew exactly what stopped him. 

one-shot. 

Two Jedi. 

one of them was going to die. 

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Ok guys please tell me what you think of this chapter, and as always props to my readers and fellow writers <3.