{{ urbania's void - chapter 38
...walls collapsing (day forty / +40)
Big sister & Fuzzball...
Vessau is still gone. It's been four days, I'm worried about him. And the rest of them. Tenel Ka, Jacen, Zekk. Where could they be?
I'll be sure to fill the Admiral in on the plan when he returns. We need to be sure the datapad gets to Jacen and Tenel Ka's room as well - so they know everything.
Stay safe,
Little sister
"So obviously the datapad isn't reaching Jacen and Tenel Ka. They must be in the same place that Zekk and Gadell seem to be at." Jaina slid the battered device across the table to Lowbacca, who picked it up and studied it.
It was late at night and the two had finished their evening meal a long while ago. They sat, digesting their food and cooking up a plan on just how to get out of the Mircas Tower with everyone... everyone alive. Lowbacca issued a grumble.
"That's true. Tekli and Tesar would run a serious risk if they put the datapad in the droid for Jacen and Tenel Ka." She paused, mapping the layout of the rooms in her head. "They were in the room on the end. And if the droid had no reason to go to that room, it would return to wherever it goes to -- and someone would find the datapad and figure us out. I'm glad Tekli and Tesar knew they were gone before they jumped ahead and sent over a message."
Her eyes drifted to the shelves of tools and landed on some old writing implements. She found her way to the shelf and let her fingers scramble around all the items, ripping a piece of flimsiplast from under them all. Sitting herself back down across from the inquisitive wookiee, she began scribbling out a diagram of what she knew.
"Alright Lowie, this is how it goes."
Spinning her crude diagram around towards Lowie, she began explaining.
"If we're all in a line, one corridor, all of our rooms on one wall. This is how it looks."
Jaina had a line drawn across the flimsiplast, with initials dotting it. There were two arrows, one on each side, pointed towards each other. They were labeled "morning" and "evening" --- the arrows of which way the droid went during each meal.
From left to right her diagram showed the following.
Alema and Zekk occupied the first room, the room the droid started out with in the morning. Next came Jag and Kyp, then Jaina and Lowie. After that was Tahiri and Gadell, then Tesar and Tekli -- and finally Jacen and Tenel Ka. Jaina knew for a fact that Jacen, Tenel Ka, Gadell and Zekk weren't in their rooms.
So what do we do?
A few hours of planning and scribbling and a plan was born.
Jaina reclined in her seat and set her feet back up onto the edge of the table, her eyes narrowing as she ran over the plan in her head. Lowbacca hunkered down onto his haunches and waited patiently by the door...
He waited for the droid.
For the right time to spring the plan.
He had never heard her scream like that before. A shrill, extremely pained cry that echoed in the tall chamber.
They had been in these seats for days now, almost four days. The dark Jedi had taken Gadell and Zekk back to their rooms minutes before - and now only Tenel Ka and Jacen were left strapped into the monstrous silver beast. His torture had been given a rest - and now it was her turn. They had been randomly pulling up people who had died from their database, and they were testing out the machine... seeing if Jacen and Tenel Ka could feel each death as it happened.
It worked. It worked too damn well.
Jacen was burning with hatred for them; he knew it was the dark side. But he couldn't help himself, especially while hearing Tenel Ka's cries of pain. She was usually very strong against pain and agony, but this was too much for too long and she just broke down.
The screen in front of them showed a first person view of someone in a barfight. Blaster bolts and punches were hitting the person over and over again and Jacen could see blood from where the person's mouth would be located. He turned his head towards her and felt his breath stop in his throat.
"Tenel Ka..." His voice escaped him in a hoarse whisper. He knew she was taking every blow, every kriffing blow because of this devilish machine. He couldn't comfort her through the Force, or steal some of her pain... they were still shut off from it.
"Please..."
Tahiri rushed to he door as it opened and Gadell was thrown into the room, instantly crumpling on the carpeted floor.
"Gadell!" She fell to her knees beside him and brushed sweat-drenched strands of hair out of his pallid face. He was staring up at her with half-lidded, tired eyes, basking in the health and exuberance that radiated from her.
She squeaked, "What happened?"
His voice croaked quietly, cracking a bit, "I relived... I relived Khee Verelen's death..."
Veila's eyes widened as she placed her hand on his chest, quickly snapping it back as he winced.
"Zekk... he drowned... Tessick drowned and Zekk... he couldn't breathe..."
Tahiri just watched him - all while trying to place everything into its right spots. Khee was Gadell's Mindmap and they made him relive Khee's death. Tessick was Zekk's Mindmap - and here Gadell was telling her that Zekk relived his death...
Just what kind of technology do they have down there?!
She helped Gadell to the bed and let him ramble on about blaster bolts and letting his sister die. He had let her down, he let Rez down...
"Oooo, what's this?" Lomi Plo had a playful lilt to her voice; even over the comm system they could hear it.
Their ears were immune to the sounds of screams and things by that point. They could pick up the smallest hint of anything... and that twist the Dark Jedi had in her voice made their minds scream out in pain. They knew she had something else up her sleeve.
"It seems we have Rez Nyena's Mindmap here, and another by the name of Kaidin Serasai."
A long pause. Jacen could hear Tenel Ka's ragged breath beside him.
"What should we do with 'em?" Welk inquired, slyly.
"I know." Raynar's voice slid through the comm. "Give them here."
They heard a clink in the comm as the Mindmaps were slid into the machine.
"Oops." Thul's voice squeaked sarcastically.
The comm switched off and the pain seethed in. Tenel Ka and Jacen thought everything hurt before... not until now did they realize they were wrong.
Lomi Plo's eyes shifted to the men beside her. "Switch off the ysalamiri. I want everyone to feel this."
"What about them?"
"Everyone is weak enough that they won't be able to do anything, even if they have the Force back."
Hesitantly, Raynar flipped a switch on the console.
It was like a wave of emotion swept over Gadell - it poured from Tahiri like a waterfall. His eyes snapped open as one thought brightened his mind up.
Kriff! We're back online!
The presence ahead of him shone like the suns of Tatooine, her expression lightening at the sight of him waking up, looking ready and refreshed. She knew they had their power back too. The bond they all shared, the Force.
In one of the other rooms, Kyp jumped from his seat, out of the daze he was in. Jag's head spun from the window and his eyes widened. "Hmmm?"
"It's back. I can feel everyone..." He paused. "Everyone..."
His face fell suddenly, like a storm passed over him, clouds gathering in his eyes.
"What?" Jag clasped his arms behind his back and paced over to the table Kyp was steadying himself on.
Kyp's knuckles were turning white as he clamped his hands on the edge, "It's Jacen and Tenel Ka... they're in serious trouble."
"The plan. It's supposed to go into action when the droid gets here. We'll go help them when we all get out."
Kyp nodded.
Mere seconds had passed then a crash sounded. Jag looked past Kyp to the door and Kyp turned -- silence reigned. Their door opened in the same small amount of time after that and a wookiee stood, a sly grin across his furry face.
Smiles crossed both men's visages as they dashed to the door, the older one stopping in midstep... he crashed to the ground holding his head. Lowbacca followed suit.
"Guys?" Jag stared down to the two, who were both writhing on the floor. A third being, a human, in pain, slammed into the doorframe - it was Jaina Solo. She tossed him the door's cardkey that she had swiped off of the guards Lowie and her attacked in the hall.
"Help the others."
They were all in some sort of pain, and this was one of the moments Jag thanked the Maker that he didn't have the Force. He took the card key and exited the open door of his and Kyp's neatly decorated cell, dashing to the next door.
When all the cells were unlocked and everyone met up in the hall, their thoughts instantly went to Jacen and Tenel Ka.
And they swore they could hear screams, loud painful screams. They couldn't pick what direction they were coming from... it was like they were happening all around them.
As they cringed and held their heads, Jag was the only one who stood tall, his eyes darting around the hallway for some sort of way out. Some way to the source of the screams. They had to help Jacen and Tenel Ka - they had to clear the Urbania of it's filth... they had to stop this insanity once and for all.
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