Allies and Enemies

Chapter Twenty-Six: Another Mission, Another Rescue

As Rowan got to the task of capturing Amyshi and Aure, I got to the task of gathering enough people, probably 5 people, to rescue Katooni. As I thought about potential people as I rushed to the mess hall, I passed Katooni. Aure.

"You alright, Kianna?" Aure asked. The voice was perfect. Must've been Polyjuice Potion.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just got a few people to catch about something," I replied, making sure my voice or face didn't give away anything.

"Alright, I'll see you around, I suppose," Aure said. "You don't need my help for anything?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks for asking," I replied, and I smiled a tight goodbye and walked down the hall. Once Aure was out of sight, I breathed a sigh of relief. Too close. I thought. I reached the mess hall and tapped a few people to join me in the hallway. Katlize, Quenna, Kendra, and Linh. The others needed a break from rescue missions.

"Come on," I said, leading them to the secret room.

"What's going on?" Linh asked.

"First things first," I said, feeling their outfits for the tracker. Even I could barely remember where I put it. I unpinned them and put them on the table where I would remember them.

"What are those?" Quenna asked.

"Trackers," I replied. "After Rowan shared the statistics about the war, I was wondering if someone was leaking information. Turns out I was right."

"Who was it?" Katlize asked.

"Katooni and Amyshi," I replied. "Rather, not Katooni, but Aure Kynnovan, disguised with Polyjuice Potion." Katlize's eyes widened the most because she knew who they were.

"Amyshi? You're joking," Katlize said. "She's too... quiet." I shook my head.

"I caught her and Aure leaking information to Palpatine," I said.

"So... what do you need us for?" Kendra asked.

"Since Katooni is probably being held at the Villains' fortress on Obsidia, we need to get her," I replied. "She's been stuck there for six months without us knowing, and the least we can do is get her out of there."

"True enough," Linh said.

"So how?" Katlize asked.

"I figure we have a small team, so two of us go in and retrieve her while the other three cause a bit of a distraction," I said. "Not too much of a distraction that they'll capture you easily, but just enough that they'll be distracted so we can sneak in."

"Fair enough," Quenna said. "Who's going to go to get Katooni?"

"I can go," Linh volunteered.

"I'll come with you," I added. "Are you guys good to do the distraction?"

"Yup," Kendra said, Katlize and Quenna nodding along.

"Alright, let's go," I said.

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The five of us successfully snuck to the Portal Room and traveled to Obsidia.

"Still as plain as ever," Quenna said. That was true, the black landscape was still the same. We snuck through the everlasting night and slid quietly down the cliff and hid.

"Good luck," Linh said.

"May the Force be with you," Katlize responded. Linh and I broke away from the small group and waited outside the building for some sort of signal. All of a sudden, a giant icicle erupted out of the ground, followed by a lightsaber humming, blaster shots, and a bright flash of light.

"That's our cue," I said, and Linh and I waited for soldiers to run outside and the two of us slipped inside. We snuck along the hallways and descended downstairs into a basement since we figured that's common sense of where the dungeon would be.

"I'll be right back," I said.

"I'll take care of the guards," Linh replied, nodding. I peered around the corner, then Phased through the walls, peeking into every cell until I found Katooni. I finally found her near the end, or what I assumed to be the end. She looked miserable. Cuts, bruises, and burns covered her body and face. I looked around and stepped into the cell.

"Kianna?" Katooni whispered in shock. I hugged her gently.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

"It's okay," Katooni replied. "I knew you'd come." I helped her up.

"This may take a little while," I warned, then I Phased through the wall, guiding her and Phasing her along with me. I peeked out and swore softly. I stopped Katooni in her tracks and put a finger to my lips. Linh was gone. Using specific Phasing skills, I crawled up the wall, my feet and one hand buried in the ceiling, the other lifting Katooni and helping her along. I climbed very quietly, making sure Katooni would stay stuck in the ceiling. After what seemed like an age, we made it to the end of the hallway and it was empty. I let Katooni down but stayed on the ceiling, just in case. We quickly hurried along to the exit and slipped outside. Kendra, Katlize, and Quenna were fighting a legion of soldiers. Linh was there, helping them. She must have gone to help them, which wasn't surprising.

"Time to go!" I yelled, running to the cliff and starting to climb. The girls all broke away from the battle and followed me. I helped Katooni climb since she was injured as curses and blaster bolts flew all around us. I looked down and many soldiers were following us. I recognized with sadness the person leading them. Ahsoka. The five of us ran away and soon jumped off Obsidia into a crack in the rock, teleporting away.