The Legend of the Jedi Queen

60. Breakout

When Tiki arrived in Nellith's cell, Nellith immediately stashed her necklace beneath her robes.

"What was that?" Tiki asked.

"Nothing—"

Before Nellith could defend herself, Tiki reached for the chain around Nellith's neck and yanked it off.

"Stop!" Nellith protested as Tiki examined it in her hands. Her violet eyes widened and her birdlike face went ashen.

"You had a holocron on you the entire time. . . I'm afraid I need to turn this in," Tiki said.

"No!" Nellith reached out her hand, and Tiki went levitating up. Almost immediately, electricity surged through her body from the chip, and Nellith dropped Tiki unceremoniously back onto the ground.

Tiki turned to her, looking at her with false sympathy.

"You have fallen so far," Tiki said.

"Same could be said for you," Nellith said breathlessly.

"Kiernan wanted us to—"

She was cut off by the lights turning red and an alarm blaring through the compound. Tiki looked around, confused and in a panic.

"Code Red! All Jedi are needed in the hangar!" Kiernan yelled over the intercom.

"This isn't over," Tiki said, taking the holocron with her. Nellith lay in a sprawling heap on the cold floor, praying that it was a rescue mission. Already, she was exhausted. Then she sensed it.

"Jaina?"

"Unidentified ship, please identify yourselves."

Jaina glanced over her shoulder at Sam, Amilyn, and Miri, nodding towards the microphone between her and Kyp in their side of the long control panel. Miri unbuckled her restraints, and kept a grip on the back of Jaina and Kyp's chairs.

"Hello, this is Queen Miranda Galfridian of Artorias," Miri announced, her voice suave and regal. "I am requesting permission to land. I am here to investigate the claims of Nellith Solo being abducted."

"I'm afraid we can't let you land," Kiernan said, a little too quickly.

"I'm afraid that my request was merely formality," Miri said, her tone immediately plunging into a sharper edge. "I will land on your base. You can either permit it, and save yourselves from more charges, or you can deny it, and I will be forced to blow this space station into the atmosphere."

Silence emanated from the control panel.

"Solsaur, I'm afraid I need your response," Miri said, after a few minutes.

Silence.

"Solsaur, I'm insane enough to use the full capacity of this weapon, and you know it," Miri said.

As a response, the space station Capricorn fired shots that bounced off of the armor of the Suncrusher.

"Let's get ready for some aggressive negotiations," Jaina said. "Amilyn, strategy's still the same, right?"

"Absolutely," Amilyn said. "Sam, I need you and Jaina to get deep inside the base. Jaina can sense Nellith, and Sam can disable the chip in her neck. Kyp stays with the ship and keeps it from getting taken by the other Jedi. Miri and I will try to talk Kiernan and the others down."

"Do you think that's still possible at this point?" Kyp asked.

"Nellith would believe that," Amilyn said.

"Honestly, I'm sensing very different emotions from my apprentice," Jaina said. "Feels like she's kriffing angry."

"Language!" Sam protested.

The Suncrusher landed within the hangar bay, and the Jed assembled around it, lightsabers out. Amilyn was the first to climb out, Miri right behind her. While Amilyn carried a large blaster rifle, Miri had dual pistols, ready to fire.

Tiki Arranda stood at the front of these, holding her purple lightsaber matching the tattoos on her face and arms and her eyes.

"You are not welcome," Tiki said.

"We are with the New Republic, and the Jedi are under our jurisdiction," Amilyn said calmly. "Strike us down, and you'll have enough charges to fill all the libraries on Coruscant. You're already in enough trouble as is for kidnapping a political figure, torture, and firing on a military ship when approached peacefully. Killing children and a ruler of another planet is just one more blaster on the tauntaun's back."

"We are dealing in matters you cannot understand," Tiki said. "You are connected in the Force."

"That's not what we believe," Miri said, her amber eyes flashing. "On Artorias, we believe all living things are connected to it and can sense it, even if most of us don't have the midichlorians to wield them."

"That has nothing to do with why you're here!" another Jedi cried out. "We need to make sure the balance of the Force is decided for the light!"

As the diplomats and Jedi began arguing the nature of the Force, they didn't notice two more members of the Suncrusher's crew sneaking out of a sliding door on the side panel of the triangular ship.

Nellith had gotten used to the red flashing lights and sirens by now, and the very sound of the sirens on repeat were starting to make her want to break things in a manner similar to her father.

So she was relieved when she saw the violet tip of her mentor's lightsaber cut through the door. Right before the door was kicked in, Nellith scrambled to her feet and pressed herself against the wall. Jaina kicked the door in, and in ran Sam and Jaina. Sam approached, holding a tool in his hand.

"Hold still," Sam ordered as he inserted his tool into the chip. He turned his tool a quarter of the way around, yanked it out, and then yanked out the chip. Nellith yelled, reaching to where her neck was bleeding.

Jaina reached over to Nellith's neck, and the tissue healed itself.

"Thanks," Nellith said.

"We'll build you another lightsaber," Jaina promised. "We just don't have time to get your weapons back."

"I understand," Nellith said, nodding. "I just wanna get out of here."

"Then let's get out."

By the time they had entered the hangar, most of the Jedi were gone, leaving only Tiki arguing with Amilyn and Miri. Tiki's eyes widened when she saw the three walk through the door.

"How'd you get out without us seeing?" Tiki yelled at Jaina.

"Distratction, and a stealth projection in the Force," Jaina said, twirling her lightsaber. "Back off, Tiki. You aren't prepared for this."

"I'm not letting you all go," Tiki growled.

"Get in the ship," Jaina ordered. "I'll handle this."

Before any of the other members of the crew could protest, Jaina then charged at Tiki, and leapt, in a single strong plunging her blade into Tiki's heart. Jaina deactivated the lightsaber as she landed, and stood there, breathing heavily and staring at the body.

"Jaina?" Nellith called gently. Black lightning flickered around her mentor's body in the Force. She feared the darkness coursing through her aunt.

Jaina turned around, her brown eyes wild as they met Nellith's hazel ones.

Her shoulders relaxed, and her breathing eased. Nellith extended her hand.

"Come on, let's go home."

Jaina walked over, and accepted her niece's hand. The two then entered the Suncrusher, and left the Capricorn behind.