Sonic
Subterfuge
“We’re
here.” The shuttle landed in front of the entrance, just at the edge of the
Stairs of Trial. The Temple entrance was a large bronzium door flanked by four
colossal statues; Jedi etched in marble.
Kenobi
was the first off the shuttle. Wraith shielded his eyes from the sun and turned
to gaze at the Temple. A long, wide plaza stretched for a kilometer like a
giant corridor leading Force Adepts from the Stairs to the entrance of the
Temple.
Kenobi
held Wraith back, preventing him from going along the plaza towards the Temple.
The Clone Troopers remained on the ship: they were only a team of eight since
Kenobi decided to take a small team and escort Wraith himself to the Temple. He
ordered Anakin and Ahsoka to regroup with another Clone legion and continue
with their campaign.
Wraith
halted, awaiting Kenobi’s commands. His hands still stung from the energy
cuffs. When he had been bound the first time, he simply phased through them,
much to the trooper’s frustration. This went on for two more attempts, until the former Sith stated that he’ll comply to being
disarmed but not restrained. He assured Kenobi that there is no way he would
allow anyone to bind him and there was nothing they can do about it. He would
be civil but not a prisoner. Kenobi had confiscated his double-bladed
lightsaber and yielded.
He
stood beneath the warm Coruscant sun, rubbing his wrists softly. Phasing
through energy still hurt a little. More practice was needed. A small battalion
of Jedi marched towards them.
“Why
is he not bound?” The lead man was blonde with his tan robes billowing. “Master
Kenobi, is this the Sith you spoke of?”
Wraith took a single step, smiled and extended
his hand. “Former Sith. My name is Wraith, Master Jedi.”
The
lead man glared at him and whipped out his lightsaber. A purple plasma blade
quivered at the nape of Wraith’s neck.
“Is
he Sith?” he snarled at Kenobi.
“Yes,
Master Vane, but-”
“Why
is he here?”
“He
seeks council with Master Yoda. He claims to have information about Sith. His
actions helped save a legion of Clones,” answered Kenobi.
“Then
he should be incarcerated, put on trial and interrogated for a negotiation,”
replied Vane sternly. “No one is allowed an audience with the Grand Master.”
Wraith
closed his eyes and let out a long breath. This Jedi was not going to allow him
an audience; no Jedi would. They would probably think he had manipulated
Kenobi’s mind and forced him to take him to Coruscant. The protocol was
incarceration and processing; it could be too late by then. He could understand
the security measures and the rules.
That
didn’t mean he would accept them.
The
Jedi Masters were the first to hear it. A faint tune, like a subsonic whistle,
emerged from Wraith’s lips. The tone resonated with every living being,
distorting their senses. Kenobi reached for his lightsaber but his movements
were too sluggish. Vane, his suspecting mind expecting foul play, lurched
forward, driving the tip of his lightsaber into Wraith’s throat. Wraith fully
expected such a move and unleashed a burst of Force from his body. Vane,
Kenobi, the accompanying Jedi and the shuttle containing the Clones were thrown
backwards. The purple tip lightly grazed Wraith’s neck, leaving a thin scar
along the left side. Vane and his Jedi were thrown as far as the four
gargantuan statues and squashed into a heap. Kenobi was thrown against the
right wall, hitting his head and falling unconscious. A trickle of blood
trailed from his skull. The Force Wave was so powerful that the shuttle moved
backwards and tipped over. It slid down the Stairs of Trial, loosing wings and
thrusters. The Stairs themselves were chipped and cracked, deforming into a
small pile of debris wherever the shuttle slid down. The Clones had extracted
their grapples and rappelled off the shuttle, which continued to slide and
tumble down the Stairs unencumbered.
Wraith
grasped the Force within him and channeled his power. The earth shook and the
atmosphere itself seemed to tremble. It was a show of power. He knew that the
Grandmaster rarely left the Temple: if Wraith couldn’t go to him, he had to
draw the Grandmaster out. He will show where he is and let the Jedi come.
And
if he had to fight every simple Jedi at the Temple until he was faced only with
the Grandmaster Yoda, then so be it.
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