Soaring through Coruscant’s skies was a lone air shuttle. Originally belonging to the Jedi Temple, it was lent over to Lyra and her companions so that they could get to the Works District. Although taking the Omega might’ve a better option, Hider refused. Lyra didn’t understand why, but when her master agreed to her companion’s wishes, she decided not to bring it up.
After a short drive, the crew had finally made it to the Works. Hider volunteered to drive, saying that he was familiar with the area. Everyone believed him. Given that Coruscant was his home for the past few years, there was little reason to doubt him.
As for Lyra herself, she sat quietly in the back seat of the shuttle with her eyes glued to the window. It was her first time visiting the Works, so she was curious to learn more about it.
But something wasn’t right. Compared to the other places on Coruscant, the Works looked unwelcoming. The tall structures that stood over the horizon looked as if they were about to collapse. She could also see black fumes spewing out from several of the buildings.
“What happened here?” asked Lyra as she stared at the district with disgust.
“Welcome to the Works, kid. The most run down… well, second most run down place on Coruscant today,” Hider explained. “What used to be a thriving place for the working class, is now considered a dump to politicians and business owners.”
“What? But… why? Why abandon such an important district?”
Master Darran sighed. “It’s a complicated story, Padawan. But for your sake, I’ll try to keep things simple. Like Hider said, this district was considered one of Coruscant’s most prized areas. People and businesses from all over the galaxy would come here, work hard, and make a living. Sadly, that was centuries ago. The Works has all but been abandoned.”
“Supposedly, Coruscant’s high taxes and regulations made it difficult to maintain a business,” Hider continued. “So, to avoid the headache that is the government, the business owners left for other worlds in the mid and outer rims.”
“He is correct,” said Master Darran. “Those who couldn’t afford to leave closed their shops up for good, decreasing the value of the district overtime. Sure, there are still some active factories here, but the Works is just not what it used to be.”
“That’s… unfortunate,” said Chessk. “Has anything been done to restore the area?”
Master Darran shook his head. “Most of the politicians are too stubborn to lower the tax rate. But even if anything changed, the district has become increasingly violent. Gang wars are a commonplace here; and for some unknown reason, the droids that were left behind in the abandoned factories have gone active, killing anyone who’ll trespass in their domain.”
“Seriously? Not even I knew that! So, the Works has been overrun by psychopathic droids like Geefour?” Hider asked. From the back end of the air shuttle, behind Lyra’s seat, an irked T3-G4 began beeping loudly. “Relax, tin can. Don’t go crazy on us just because you couldn’t take a joke.”
“You’re the one who shouldn’t be antagonizing him, Hider!” said Lyra before looking back to her master. “Master, I don’t mean to pry, but it sounds as if you don’t like politicians. Why is that?”
Master Darran sighed. “I consider those types of people to be the worst I’ve ever worked with. Most of them are nothing but stubborn, incompetent fools who do not care for the Republic’s laws, and instead use them get whatever they want. Granted, not all of them are bad, but most do not care for Coruscant’s troubles, nor any other planet that is not their own.”
“They are the lowliest of scum. Arguably even worse that my idiot cousin.” Chessk replied. “Be wary of them when you become a Knight, little Jedi. Those kinds of people lie and cheat just so that they remain in power.”
“If you say so,” replied Lyra with a shrug. “By the way, Hider, we’ve been flying around for quite a while now. Do you even know where Czerka is located?”
“I know a good landing spot we can use that’ll put us in walking distance from Czerka’s headquarters. It’s not too far away from here, so just sit back and relax,” Hider answered.
“You seem to know the area quite well, Hider. Have you been down to the Works before?” asked Master Darran as the former Smuggler piloted the air shuttle down.
“Several times. The company I worked for wanted me to write a couple of articles on the state of the district. Though to be honest, I’ve only visited safe parts of the Works, not the more dangerous areas. And certainly not the abandoned factories.”
T3-G4 whistled from the back of the air shuttle. “Like I know why those droids went rogue in the first place, tin can,” Hider replied to the droid. “Remember, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of such a thing, so I’m just as clueless as you.”
“Um, what did Geefour say?” asked Lyra.
“It was asking how the abandoned droids went renegade in the first place,” Chessk answered.
“But, why? It’s not like Geefour is going to turn into one of those things.”
“Maybe. No one really knows what might happen if droids don’t get periodic memory wipes. I think Geefour here is worried he might end up like them one day,” Hider explained, but his response only made T3 angrier. Its beeps becoming more aggressive. “Hey, I’m being honest here, tin can. You’re only putting yourself and others in danger if you don’t have a memory wipe.”
“Enough, both of you!” shouted an irritated Master Darran. “Hider cease your pointless bickering with the droid and focus on driving. Geefour, stop worrying about the future. If you really don’t want to have your memory wiped, then we won’t do it.”
Lyra gave a sigh of relief. No matter how blunt her master’s words were, she could always rely on him to settle things down.
Shortly after the bickering stopped, a small landing bay came into view. Hider immediately slowed the vehicle down and parked it onto an open spot. “Okay, we’re here,” he said as the air shuttle’s roof swung open. “Now, before we make our way to Czerka, you guys need to know that this place is still dangerous. Be on your guard. We’ll never know what might happen.”
Lyra nodded in approval as she leapt out of the air shuttle and landed onto the metal platform. After the others exited the shuttle through more practical means, they left it behind and entered the Works.
Trotting alongside her companions, Lyra carefully observed her surroundings. Despite hearing that the district had been abandoned, the area was still relatively populated. Dozens of people walked the streets of the Works, carrying along as if it were a regular workday.
Hider was quick to notice her curiosity. “Don’t be fooled, Lyra,” he cautioned. “You may be seeing a lot people, but everybody here knows that the Works is on its last leg. It’s only a matter of time before more factories close and people here become jobless.”
“Gee, thanks for the tip, Hider,” replied Lyra with a sigh. Like I needed to know something that depressing.
<Little pony, may I have a quick word with you?> asked Chessk in Dosh as he walked closely next to the young Padawan.
“Sure, Chessk. What is it?”
<I want to let you know that I approve of what you did back at the Jedi Temple. Your little pony friend would only end up as a liability if she were to come with us.>
“Yeah, well, she wasn’t exactly happy with the decision though.”
<Don’t worry about it. She may be upset with you now, but she’ll eventually realize you did what was best for her.>
Lyra curled her lips. “Sweetie said that she was trained in melee combat back in Equestria. While there’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m worried that she won’t transition well. As far as I remember, ponies still fight with swords and bows, not vibro-weapons and blasters.”
<Yes, she did mention that she had proficiency in close quarters combat. Hmm, perhaps when this rescue mission is over, I can give the mare a few pointers.>
“Y-you’d do that for her?”
<I’d be more than happy to help her learn how to fight. However, that would depend on whether her claim is true or not.> Chessk paused for a minute, then continued. <Hmm, blaster weaponry is out of the picture, so I’ll likely have to train her on what she already knows.>
“So, she’ll have to learn how to use vibro-weapons?”
<Possible, but there are other weapons she can use. Stun batons, daggers, and power gauntlets. Her choice of weapon would depend on how she fights. Which reminds me, do ponies have a certain style on how they fight?>
“Well, it depends. Ponies are a docile species, so we don’t fight much. But when we do, we usually wield weapons with our jaws or hold them between our elbows if it’s a long-range melee weapon like a spear. Unicorns like me are the exception to this, since we can use our horns to cast magic or lift weapons. The same can be said with Pegasus ponies, since they can fly and manipulate the weather on their own.”
<They… wield their weapons with their mouths?> To Chessk’s dismay, Lyra nodded her head. <That’s no good. If what you’re saying is true, then I’d assume the creamy pony fights in a similar way.>
“You think you can help her adapt?”
<Perhaps, but it’s going to take me awhile to do so. I can teach her a few new tricks, but I need to see what she’s capable of first.>
“Hate to break your little chat, you two, but now’s not the time for talking,” Hider said as he butted his way into the conversation. “Look, we’re here.”
“We are?” asked Lyra. She looked up and saw a large building standing in front of her. By comparison, its size was akin to that of the Exchange stronghold back on Ord Mantell. And above the doorway, plastered into the wall, was a big company sign. Czerka Corporation.
“That is one big factory they have there.” Chessk said in Basic. “It makes me wonder what those thugs use it for. Well, besides storage for their shipments.”
“I don’t know. Ponies maybe?” Hider asked. T3-G4 responded with a beep. “Yeah, I guess we won’t know until we head inside. The question is, how do we get in?”
“We’ll talk,” advised Master Darran. “Despite my dislike for Czerka, there’s no point in charging in head first and cause chaos. Diplomacy must come first. We’ll enter the building as guests and ask about their recent shipments.”
Chessk raised a brow “And if they won’t comply, Master Jedi?”
“They will. I’m certain the sight of a Jedi Master will be enough to get them to confess.” However, Master Darran’s response did not please the Trandoshan.
“If you weren’t a Jedi, I would tell you that you’re too full of yourself.” His response caused Lyra to gasp. <Don’t worry, little Jedi, I meant no disrespect. I’ll follow your master’s plan, but should things get bad, I’ll be ready to fight by your side.>
Hider sighed. “Care to explain what the big guy just said, kid?”
“Don’t worry. Chessk’s not going to attack anyone,” said Lyra.
“Good. Cause the last thing I want is to get stuck in a crossfire because the big guy was stupid enough to pick a fight.”
Lyra facehoofed as Chessk let out a deafening roar, causing many of the nearby civilians to cover their ears and cower away. “Watch your tongue, human!” the Trandoshan hollered.
“Whoa, calm down, big guy. I didn’t mean to offend you,” Hider replied as he attempted to calm the Trandoshan down. But it was futile. Chessk was fuming mad, and from his right, T3-G4 made several buzzing sounds. “Oh, don’t you start too, droid!”
Lyra rolled her eyes. Rather that participate in the squabble between her friends, she decided to leave them be and go join her master at the entrance of Czerka Headquarters. When the two arrived at their destination, they were greeted by two armed guards. One of whom immediately raised his rifle at Master Darran.
“Hold it right there!” shouted the guard. “Who are you and what business do you have with Czerka?”
“Huh. Déjà vu,” said Lyra with a raised brow.
“Indeed,” replied Master Darran before addressing the guard himself. “Lower your weapon, guardsmen. We are not here to fight. Simply, negotiate.”
“Negotiate, huh?” asked the guard. “Judging from your clothes, old man, you seem to be a Jedi.” He then looked down at Lyra and stared at her with a raised brow. “And what the heck is that supposed to be? Some animal of some sort?”
“She’s my Padawan,” answered Master Darran.
The guard’s jaw dropped. “Wait, seriously?” He lowered his weapon and gawked at Lyra with wide eyes. “No way. For real? That… thing is a Jedi?”
“I’d be more careful with your words, guardsmen. My Padawan may not look the part, but I guarantee you, she is a Jedi in training. That, and she can fully understand and speak Galactic Basic.”
“I-I see. F-forgive me, master Jedi. I didn’t mean to offend you or your Padawan.”
“Apology accepted,” Lyra replied. “Alright, let’s make this straight to the point. The reason why where here is because we have evidence to support that Czerka is currently holding an alien species here as captives.”
“W-what? Surely, you must be mistaken. We don’t imprison sentient creatures here.”
“Does Czerka happen to sell any animals here on Coruscant that people can purchase?” asked Master Darran.
The guard nodded. “Many upper-class citizens come to Czerka in hopes that they’d find an exotic space creature they can keep as a pet. Though it’s not the only thing we sell here, it is a major selling product we have on Coruscant.”
“Then it’s possible that your company is seeing my species as mere house pets!” Lyra exclaimed. She then explained her predicament to the guards, hoping she could convince them to let her inside. She left out a few details, but it was enough to get one of the guards to consent.
“That’s quite a tall tale you have their, Miss. Padawan,” said the guard. “But if what you’re saying is true, then I guess we got no choice but to let you in.”
“Hey, our orders specifically stats we can’t let anyone in right now,” berated the other guard. “If we let anyone in right now, our boss is gonna kick our butts.”
“But this is a decree from the Jedi Order! We can’t ignore them.”
“I don’t care if it’s the Jedi or the Supreme Chancellor! If we got orders saying to let no one inside the factory, then we’re not allowing anyone inside!”
Lyra rolled her eyes. “Ugh, we don’t have time for this!” She trotted up the brash guardsman and gave him a fierce glare. “Hey, you!”
“Look, if you’re trying to talk me out of my decision, you can forget about it, Jedi. I am not letting anyone inside,” replied the guardsman as he returned a glare of his own. Lyra, however, simply smiled back at the man before waving her hoof in front of his face.
“You will let us inside,” she said.
The brash guardsman’s eyes went wide as his face suddenly went pale. “I… I will let you inside.” He turned around and pressed a nearby button, which caused the entrance door to suddenly fling open. “Follow me,” the guardsman continued. “I’ll lead you to the lobby.”
As the brash guardsman entered the building, his now confused partner stared at him. “W-what just happened? A moment ago, he refused to let you guys in. But now he suddenly wants to?”
“Don’t think about it too much. Just be grateful he was willing to change his mind,” said Master Darran. “But if you’re worried about your partner, why don’t you go inside and see if he’s okay. Don’t worry about us, we’ll catch up once our remaining comrades get here.”
The guardsman was hesitant at first, but he eventually gave Master Darran a nod before heading inside the factory himself, leaving Lyra and her master alone at the entrance. Using this opportunity, the Jedi Master turned his attention toward his Padawan. “Was that truly necessary, Lyra?” he asked.
“Oh, come on, master, it’s not like I hurt him or anything!” Lyra rebuked. “He didn’t want to let us in, so I played around with his mind a bit.”
Master Darran sighed. “Although I am grateful that we avoided unnecessary conflict, do warn me next time if you plan on using the Force like that.” He then paused for a moment, then continued: “By the way, have our friends finished arguing with each other back there?”
Lyra looked behind her and saw her friends were heading toward her; but unfortunately, they were still arguing among one another. A sign of ineptitude. “Look, I get I say stupid crap every once in a while, but you don’t have to take my words seriously,” Hider argued. “Come on, they’re just jokes.”
“Jokes aren’t funny if the jokester is the only one laughing,” said Chessk.
T3-G4 gave a loud hoot. “Like you know any good jokes, tin can!” Hider shouted.
“Guys, please! Enough with the bickering!” berated an agitated Lyra. “We already got our ticket in, so can please calm down and focus on the mission?”
Hider blinked. “Wait, you already got us permission to get inside? And without any use of violence whatsoever?” Lyra nodded in reply. “Dang, that was fast. I thought for sure those guards would get in our way. How’d did you manage to convince them to let us through?”
“One of the guards was more than willing to let us in after hearing our predicament. The other one, not so much,” answered Master Darran. “My Padawan ended up using a Mind Trick on the latter to get us inside.”
“Nice! Did they say anything about the ponies at all?”
Lyra shook her head. “No, they didn’t. But we should be able to find out more once we head… inside.” She paused mid-sentence. Turning around, she stared at the factory entrance, squinting her eyes as ears began to flop.
Hider was quick to notice this. “Hey, Lyra, what’s wrong?” he asked.
She didn’t answer him. Her eyes were instead glued to the entrance of the Czerka factory. Something big just happened inside. She didn’t know what it was, nor she had no physical proof of it happening, but a disturbance Force was all the proof she needed.
Then, she heard a scream.
“Did you all hear that?” said Chessk.
“Hear what?” Hider asked.
“A scream. It came from inside the factory!”
“What? But I didn’t hear anything.”
“No, Chessk’s right. Something is happening inside the building!” Lyra shouted as she immediately bolted inside. Hider tried to call out to her, but she didn’t hear him. She’d already bolted into the facility. Without looking back and checking to see if anyone had followed her, she galloped, until she eventually reached a large lobby looking room.
For a building that was meant to be a factory, the lobby was decorated well. Furnishes lined up on both sides of the room with lavish decorations on the walls and ceiling. There was also a desk and a computer on the other side of the room, and behind it was another large doorway.
However, in the center of the room were the two guardsmen from before. Both were on the floor, moaning in pain, coughing up blood. Seeing this, Lyra rushed to the guardsman who’d showed her kindness earlier. “Oh my gosh. Are you alright?” she asked.
The guardsman shook his head in reply as he began to cough up more blood. Seeing this, Lyra went white. She wanted to panic, but her instincts told her not to. What kind of Jedi would she be if she left an injured person dying on the floor?
“Hang on. I’ll heal you!” She quickly called upon the Force and concentrated its energies to her front hooves. “Tell me, where does it hurt?”
Despite being in agonizing pain, the guardsman was able lift his left arm up and point directly at his abdomen and right shoulder. Seeing this, Lyra gently placed her hooves on the man’s injuries, allowing the soothing light of the Force to heal the wounded man. As she did this, some loud footsteps and a buzzing noise came from behind her position. She looked back and saw her master, as well as her friends, all enter the lobby at once.
“What the heck happened here?” Hider yelled as he stared at the two wounded guardsmen with wide eyes.
“I-I don’t know! I just found them like this!” shouted Lyra. “Hider, please, go check on the other person. See if he’s okay!”
“G-got it!” Without any objections, Hider immediately ran up and checked on the other guard on the floor. He bent down on his knees, skimming the body for any signs of injury. He kept quiet for a moment. Then, his jaw dropped. “H-he’s dead. Kriff, this guy is dead!”
Lyra went pale. “W-what? Why? How?”
“I… I f-found him like… that,” said the injured guardsman who was struggling to even speak. “When I came here, I-I saw his body… laying on the floor. I… went to go help him, but w-when I did, I felt a punch to my gut. T-then, I think I got hit by blaster fire. I-I would’ve passed out if it wasn’t for you miss Jedi, I think I’m going to be okay.”
Lyra bit her lip. D-did I just lead a man to his death? Questions began popping in her head. How did the other guardsman die? There was nobody here. Perhaps the culprit left after shooting his two victims? If that was the case, could there be a murderer somewhere in this building? “We have to find the killer, now!” she shouted. “Master, where should we start looking?”
Master Darran didn’t reply.
“Master, didn’t you hear me?”
Again, no reply. Confused, Lyra called out to him again, but he ignored her and instead walked silently past both her and Hider. “Um, master? Is something wrong?” she asked.
Once more, she blinked.
In a split second, the Jedi Master snatched his saber from his belt and ignited it, deflecting two stray blaster bolts that came from seemingly nowhere. Seeing this, Lyra immediately grabbed her saber as well, ready to stand side by side with her master. She stopped when she realized that the bolts that were deflected had managed to hit something.
She gasped. Two tall human-like beings suddenly appeared in front of Master Darran. They were armed with blaster rifles and wore heavy armor the likes of which she had never seen before.
Then it came to her. Could these people be the murderers? And more importantly, how did she not sense these guys when she came into the room? Sure, they wore stealth field generators, but that shouldn’t be an excuse.
“Mandalorians!” shouted Chessk as he quickly grabbed his rifle from his back holster. He took aim and fired a bolt directly at one of the intruders, killing him instantly. The second tried to retaliate, but he was stopped by T3-G4, who’d fired his stun ray.
With the perpetrator disabled, Master Darran quickly disarmed the intruder by destroying his weapon with his saber. He then aimed the tip of his blade to the intruder’s neck, ready to end the Mandalorian’s life in case he tried to retaliate.
“Damn you, Jedi!” cursed the Mandalorian. He stepped back and tried to pull out a sidearm from his hip; however, Master Darran was too fast for him. The Jedi Master quickly destroyed the sidearm, then struck the attacker’s waist with his saber, killing him.
“What the heck? What’re Mandalorians doing here?” Hider yelled. “More importantly, how the heck were they able to get to Coruscant in the first place?”
Master Darran sighed as he deactivated his lightsaber. “I do not know. Perhaps our friend here can tell us what’s really going on.”
“A-are you serious?” rebuked the injured guardsman. “What makes you think I know what’s going on?”
“Czerka is known throughout the galaxy for being a shady company. I’d assume that the higher-ups of your organization took something that belonged to the Mandalorians? It would certainly explain their presence here.”
“N-no. Seriously, I don’t know anything! All I know is that a new shipment arrived from Ord Mantell a day ago. Something about new pets for sale I think, but I’m not sure! I never got to see the new shipments.”
Hider raised a brow. “Wait, new pets for sale? And they came from Ord Mantell? No. It can’t be a coincidence, could it?”
“No, it shouldn’t,” said Chessk. “I know it sounds farfetched, but I believe these Mandalorians that we encountered are the same ones who infiltrated the Exchange base.”
The room fell into an awkward silence. Eventually, Lyra was the one to speak up first. “So, what you’re saying is, these Mandalorians are after the ponies too?”
“That is a bold statement you have there, Chessk, but I admit, it is possible,” said Master Darran. He then looked at the two Mandalorian corpses. “We must get to the ponies as soon as possible. Geefour, go to that computer terminal and see if you can download a map of the building. Hider, Chessk, I want you two to ready your weapons. If more Mandalorians are here, then a fight maybe coming.”
“Hey, what about me?” asked the guardsman.
“Can you walk?” Master Darran asked.
“I-I think so. But I might need some help.”
“Then my Padawan and I will assist you. The least we can do is get you out of here safely.” Master Darran then looked directly at Lyra. “Padawan, would you please be so kind as to help this poor man.”
Lyra didn’t reply.
“Padawan, are you listening to me?”
Again, no response.
“Padawan, enough with the silent treatment. We need to move, now!”
She gave no answer. Instead, Lyra dashed past him and Hider, leaping over the computer desk and galloped into the open doorway at the far end of the room. Her companions cried out to her, but it was no use. Their voices fell on deaf ears as she alone delved deeper into factory.