Hope Reborn - Chapter 21

"Iden." Luke held his com-link up covertly as he leaned his head against the exterior bar wall. "Are you picking up any chatter."

"Civilian channels are quiet." Iden paused as she flipped through different options. "Imperial are all over the place. You two need to get out of there fast."

"Either they have Shaak Ti captive, or it's another force user." Luke shook his head.

Ventress rubbed his back like he was getting sick from the drink.

"Either way." Luke continued. "They've used this to lure in others. We need to put a stop to it."

"What's your plan?" Iden asked. "Please tell me you have a plan."

"I've got an idea." Luke smiled.

[-x-]

"Rocking, rocking and rolling." Luke sang loud and slurred his words. "Down to the beach I'm strolling."

The 'workers' at the side-door to the warehouse stared at him as he stumbled closer. They shared a look between themselves before one stepped forward.

"Go sleep it off somewhere, spacer." The worker pulled the edge of their coat back to show a holstered blaster.

"But the baspoor, peck at my head. Not fun!" Luke lurched toward the disguised guard. "I said, baspoor, stop it now."

Ventress slid out of the darkness near the other guard. She clamped a hand over his mouth and yanked him out of sight. Luke snapped his fist up. A crack sounded in the air as the blow connected with the workers' chin. The guy went down hard. Luke held his hand out in front of the disguised guard.

"Sleep." He pressed the command through the force.

The guard went limp. Luke pulled the unconscious man out of sight. He patted the man down. His search came away with a keycard and a pair of binder-cuffs. He pocketed both. The man would be asleep for at least four hours unless another Force User woke him up.

Luke strolled over to the door. The keycard opened the door without an issue. Rows of neatly stacked crates made the large, open interior feel smaller than it was. Ventress effortlessly hopped up onto a stack. She drew her sabers but didn't ignite them yet. Staying low, she crept along the top of the crates. Luke lost sight of her.

He took the pathway directly in front of the door. She would handle the sneaky part. His role was the distraction. Once more, he adopted the drunk shuffle he had used outside.

"Mm, ha. Mm mmm ha-ha. Mm ha." He sang. "Everyone told me. Not stroll on that beach. Said baspoors gonna come, poke me in the coconut. And they did."

"How did you get in here?" The modulated voice of a stormtrooper barked.

There were five of them arranged in a semi-circle. In the center of their group were two things that Luke had not expected. The first was Shaak Ti, or at least her mummified body in an upright coffin. Luke could feel her presence in the force that emanated from the corpse. The second was a black clad humanoid that sat atop the coffin.

The black clad figure hopped off the coffin. It was man of some near-human species. His face was gaunt, and his skin was pale with a tinge of blue. Their eyes had no color to them. The skin looked like it was pulled tight across his skull.

"Who." The black-clad man raised a lightsaber hilt. "Are." They activated it to reveal a red blade. "You?"

Luke sighed. Some part of him knew that another Jedi Master still alive was a long shot. It looked like Yoda was the only one now. If he had to guess, this was an Inquisitor. Luke had heard rumors of them, but they were supposedly dead, or disbanded, before the Rebellion truly formed.

"Common, do you speak it?" The man took another step closer.

Luke studied the lightsaber hilt. It was made from a matte black metal. There were no signs of personalization. Lightsabers were usually constructed by their user. Each one had little touches of personality. This one looked like it had been made in a batch.

"Five troopers?" Luke titled his head to the side.

"Five more than I need." The Inquisitor gave a smug smile.

Luke nodded.

"I like those odds." He flashed the Inquisitor a feral smile.

His hand was already in motion as his lightsaber filled his grip. It ignited mid-swing, knocking the red blade out of the way. He snapped his free hand up sending a pulse of Force at the closest Stormtrooper. They were launched off their feet. Their armor let out a loud crack as they slammed against a stack of crates. The Inquisitor took a couple of controlled steps back to create some space.

Ventress dropped down on the other side. Her two sabers made quick work of the remaining Stormtroopers. The Inquisitor looked from Ventress to Luke.

"Those are good odds." The Inquisitor inclined his head.

"Using a corpse to bring in desperate Jedi?" Ventress looked at the coffin. "Didn't expect that."

"That's the point." The Inquisitor rolled his eyes. "Are we going to talk about this like civilized folk, or do you just want to hit eat other with swords?"

"I'm fine with both options." Ventress shrugged.

"Let's talk." Luke kept his lightsaber burning.

The Inquisitor deactivated their blade. They crossed their arms and leaned against the coffin casually. He looked at Luke expectantly. After a moment, he waved a hand for Luke to continue.

"How long have you been here?" Luke asked.

"A couple of months." The Inquisitor shrugged.

"I heard the Inquisitors were dead." Ventress stated.

"We're the next batch." The Inquisitor replied with a single, dry laugh. "We aren't named First Brother or whatever this time around. Just Inquisitor."

"Are there any others here?" Luke asked.

The Inquisitor shook their head. "Just me and a company of bucketheads."

"You don't sound like a fan of the Empire." Ventress said.

"My life expectancy has been drastically reduced with this new assignment." The Inquisitor replied. "You two are the first I've seen."

"What about those other ships?" Luke asked.

"Hollowed out shells." The Inquisitor answered. "The real ships are in an underground hangar."

"Are there any other traps like this?" Luke asked.

"Do you think they would tell me that?" The Inquisitor snorted. "My guess. No. They don't have a surplus of dead Jedi Masters to use as bait."

"What about other Jedi?" Luke asked.

"It has to be a master." The Inquisitor shook their head. "Others aren't strong enough."

Luke shared a look at Ventress. That meant there was a chance that the rumors about Bariss weren't completely false. It was possible that it was another trap, but they couldn't discount it. Hopefully, Bo would have some more information.

"Now." The Inquisitor gave them a fake smile. "Kark off and let me deal with the bodies."

Ventress shook her head. The motion didn't go unnoticed by the Inquisitor. They sighed.

"We can't let you report this." Luke raised his blade.

"Are you going to kill everyone in the town and the base?" The Inquisitor drew their lightsaber but didn't ignite it. "They sent a report once your ship requested docking permission."

"How many ships do you get in a week?" Luke asked.

"We're in the middle of nowhere." The Inquisitor motioned to the room around them. "No one comes here. Even smugglers don't care about this place. Your ship is the second one that has ever arrived."

Luke was about to speak but was interrupted by the chirp of his commlink. He kept an eye on the Inquisitor as he answered the call.

"Go ahead." Luke said.

"Imperial Channels just lit up." Iden spoke fast. "Something got their attention."

Luke glared at the Inquisitor. They tapped the side of the coffin. A little pad lit up near where they had leaned against it before. They gave another smug smile.

"What's your move?" The Inquisitor said in a sing-song tone. "Can you escape before my partners get here? Flee and survive or fight and die."

"I'm fine with both options." Ventress repeated with a sharp smile.

"Iden, how many lifeforms are you reading on planet?" Luke asked.

"Roughly two-hundred." She replied. "There's interference. Kriff, they are scrambling fighters."

"Get out of here." Luke ordered. "Put R2 on the canons. Check back in a couple of hours. The ship is yours if we die and take care of R2."

Iden didn't reply for a long moment.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

The comm cut out shortly as she left range.

"So noble." The Inquisitor ignited their blade. "Fighting it is."

"Go on." Ventress nodded toward the Inquisitor. "Let's see how you do. I'll handle the bucketheads."

Luke shook his head. He raised his saber up at the ready. The Inquisitor rushed forward. Luke swatted the crimson blade down as it got closer. He shifted to the side and let the Inquisitor continue on. There were many forms for wielding a lightsaber. Luke knew some of them from his studies via holocron as well as the Jedi text. His style came from practical application.

His foot shot out as the Inquisitor moved. He kicked him the back of the knee, sending the black-clad man off balance. Luke spun with the saber leading the way. There was a slight vibration as the blade cut through the Inquisitors neck.

Luke walked away without a look back. He deactivated his saber as he went to find Ventress. She waited for him by the door they had used to enter. She tilted her head to side in a silent question.

"That was fast." Ventress chuckled.

Luke shrugged. "What about the troopers?"

"Not here yet." Ventress gave him a small smile. "Two hundred bucketheads. What are the odds we walk out of here?"

"A hundred for you, a hundred for me." Luke leaned against the door opposite of her. "Maybe a little less if they sent fighters after Iden."

"She'll be back." Ventress said. After a moment she added. "If the ship is still intact."

Luke nodded. "You go that way, I'll go this one, and we both cause some chaos until she gets back."

Ventress smiled.