Chasing Your Shadow (a sequel to Ezra Lost)

Chapter 7

7

THE JEDI'S eyes remained closed as the Inquisitor advanced into the chamber, his arms folded behind his back. The Pau'an's golden gaze flicked over Jarrus' face and he knew at once that the rebel was now awake - and listening. But, the Inquisitor thought with an infinitesimal smirk, if the Jedi wanted to play such games, then so could he.

The Grand Inquisitor glanced over his shoulder at the Miralian woman he had assigned to join him. She bowed her head the instant she felt his attention turn towards her.

"The Jedi sleeps," he said emotionlessly. "Wake him."

The black-armored Miralian lifted her head, and the Inquisitor could tell promptly that she knew precisely what he was up to. "Of course, your greatness." There was a glitter in her yellow eyes and the ghost of a cruel grin playing at her lips. Then she raised one hand and gestured towards Jarrus with two fingers.

Her pair of miniature probe droids drifted above her and over to the locked-down Jedi. The Inquisitor turned to watch with satisfaction as the droids settled on either of Jarrus' shoulders, beeping raucously. The Inquisitor was pleased to see the man flinch slightly and, judging by the flickering of the human's eyelids, it was a struggle for Jarrus not to open them.

The probes locked their spiderlike mechanical legs down onto the orange fabric of Jarrus' prison suit, then crackled with electricity, which instantly spread into the Jedi's entire body.

Two stormtrooper guards at a lower level door stirred at his scream.

After a moment, the Grand Inquisitor simply lifted his hand. The Miralian clicked her tongue and the droids obediently flew back to her, settling on top of her angular ebony helmet.

The Inquisitor regarded Jarrus for a moment. The rebel leader breathed heavily, his head held weakly low as he glowered at the two Imperials through half-closed eyes.

It again crossed the Pau'an's mind how very pleased he was with Shadow's work. He'd had his doubts about the young bounty hunter, despite Shadow's rather impressive resume. Such was a large part of the reason why he had additionally employed Fett - the Inquisitor knew very well that if the first bounty hunter he had contacted failed in any way, Fett would be able to correct her mistakes - and, in such a case (as the Inquisitor had privately ordered Fett), take over the operation completely.

But thus far, everything had gone incredibly smoothly, by far exceeding the Inquisitor's expectations. (The fact that his master had specifically ordered the Inquisitor not to attempt capturing Jarrus himself had quietly left him extra cynical and bitter.) But there was certainly no time to waste, so upon Shadow's triumphant return with Fett, the Inquisitor had immediately ensured that the then-unconscious Jarrus was dealt with; then he'd given them their orders and sent them back out once more.

The Inquisitor's eyes glittered at his pleasant thoughts. Once again, he had Jarrus in his grasp. And this time --

...no one would be coming to rescue him.

A chuckle almost escaped him. Essentially, that was the entire plan. Wonderfully intricate, not at all as it seemed to be, ever ongoing and, of course, one of his best.

The Inquisitor slowly stepped closer until he was near enough to hear Jarrus' panting, then reached out to lift the man's prominent, goateed chin.

"What a pleasure it is to see you back in this little room," he drawled softly, staring into Jarrus' face with a cold and ugly smile. "Is it not curious how fate seems to reign above all else?"

"Yeah, fate," Jarrus growled. The Inquisitor could scarcely hear him. "A real sick, twisted mistress."

The Inquisitor's gelid smirk broadened. "Indeed," he mused, then paused. "You know, Jedi..." He leaned a little closer. Kanan wrinkled his nose at the reek of raw meat on the Pau'an's breath. "This is exactly what I did to your Padawan."

Jarrus stared up at him. The Grand Inquisitor was satisfied to sense a ripple of agony emanate from him through the Force. Liquid hatred in its purest form gathered into Jarrus' cyan eyes.

The three organic beings in the room were very, very still. A wide smirk displayed nearly all of the Inquisitor's jagged teeth.

He turned away just as Jarrus lunged forward against his bonds with a snarl, most likely in an attempt to bite the Inquisitor's finger off. Luckily, the Inquisitor had learned well from last time.

He walked towards the door, posture erect, ever radiating darkness and icy satisfaction.

"He is yours," he told the Miralian woman nonchalantly as he passed her, then exited the chamber.

The Miralian grinned and gazed at the captive Jedi with cold pleasure. "Greetings, Kanan," she said, her voice sounding eerily as though it was mechanically altered. "I don't believe we've met." As she spoke, her probe droids drifted forward again, clicking their front legs together like mandibles. "I am the Seventh Sister - and these are my pets, whom I believe you have already met."

Her eyes sparkled as Kanan began to scream.

"I suspect we will get along famously."

***

By "fate" and "sick and twisted mistress", of course, they are unwittingly referencing me xD Once again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I look forward to coming back soon with more!

But for now, a little extra teaser- who on earth did Ezra call?! Hmmm... well, let's just say he's a familiar face.

Oh, and we're bound to see some other familiar faces (and places!), too. So sit tight, folks, and get ready. We're in for a wild ride - and so is our favorite rebel crew!