Chapter 21 - Detective Draco Part I

(Sorry for the delay guys. Yet again, I drank a lot all day yesterday. It was my younger brother's graduation party so I had to get sauced. You know how it is baby. Just a heads up, this is going to be a story arc that will span multiple chapters. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.)

Tyler woke up to something shifting in his bed. He opened his eyes to see Emily nearly pushing him off the bed. He rolled his eyes and hopped up. He put on a pair of joggers and went to brew a cup of tea.

As he let the tea steep, he thought back on what happened the past two weeks since the Forest Group incident. With the insane amount of damage and the stealing of players from the four guilds the group controlled, they were forced to go into hiding. Only a small fraction of the former member counts remained.

In addition, they stopped recruitment since then so they still maintained the same member count. They had more than enough members to maintain their operations and continue their expansion.

Within a few minutes, Emily walked out of the bedroom and they kissed each other. She had a lot to do today.

The construction on Scarif was also going quite well. In another month, the first resort will be completed and open for business. With this, a lot of new money will start coming in.

Suddenly, he got a call from John. "Ty, you need to go to the senate building immediately, there is a hostage situation."

Tyler shook his head in surprise. "WHAT? I'LL BE THERE AS SOON AS I CAN!" He then hung up. He quickly got dressed in his Jedi robes and left his room.

He rushed to his hangar and read the forums as he hopped into his fighter. "R2, take me to the senate building."

The top article on the forums was a crazy headline. "Forest Group and Bounty Hunters Take Over Senate Building."

He immediately called his mom. "Mom, what's going on?"

Julia was panicking. "There are a bunch of guys here holding us hostage. They split us up into multiple rooms."

Tyler nodded. "I got that already. Please, breath. I'm coming to help. Do you know anything about who is there?"

Julia took a few deep breaths and nodded. "I overheard one of their conversations. Someone named Mizaki Shoko."

Tyler sighed. "I haven't heard of him. Just sit tight and stay quiet. I'll be there soon." He then hung up.

A few minutes later, he landed. Waiting at the senate building was John and a few guild elders. Conveniently, Kai was also there.

*Quest Triggered: Chamber in Chains*

*Rank: Gold*

*Description: The Galactic Senate Building has been taken over by terrorists. Resolve the situation and save the hostages.*

*Reward: +6000 reputation with the Galactic Republic*

Tyler turned to John. "Any idea about this unknown reward?"

John shook his head. "Nope. I don't even know how to get it."

Tyler sighed. "Oh well. I guess we just gotta do this fast. Let's make sure we get in there and finish the mission before any other people can grab the quest. We don't know if the bonus reward can be given to more than one person."

John nodded. "That is a good point. We have come up with a plan for entry. I'll have Toshinori fill you in. His guild specialized in ȧssasination so they have the edge in finding their way around undetected."

Tyler smiled. "Wonderful. Good to have you Toshi. Let's hear it."

Toshinori nodded. "Of course Guild Leader."

Tyler shook his head. "Please, we are friends. Call me Draco. That goes for all elders in fact. I don't like the honorifics unless absolutely necessary."

Toshinori smiled. "Sounds good Draco. Anyways, before we joined Limitless, my guild came across a network of old drainage and ventilation shafts that aren't used anymore. We can use them to gain access to the newer ventilation system within the senate building. We would need a covert method of breaching."

Tyler smiled. "Well that is easy." He raised his robe and displayed his lightsabers.

Toshinori laughed. "I almost forgot about that. We did not have a Jedi here before so that was not taken into consideration. That should make this easy."

Tyler nodded. "Alright. That sounds good. Once we get in there, we should stay grouped to cover each other's ȧsses. Lead the way!"

Toshinori nodded. "Follow me then." He led them away from the senate building. They boarded an LAAT and flew for about a minute. Then they arrived at a spot on the wall surrounding the platform that the senate building was on. This spot looked off. All around there was worn metal plating but in this spot, the metal was cleaner. "This is the spot."

Tyler nodded. He took out his blaster and used the grappling hook. It drilled into the wall and he suspended down to the spot after clipping the cable to his belt. He then took out one of his lightsabers and cut a large hole in the plating before detaching the cable and swinging in.

Inside was a large ventilation shaft. There was dust and cobwebs all over. It really did have the appearance that it had not been used in years. There were several thumps as John, Toshinori, Beowulf, and Mcree landed in the shaft.

Tyler took point in their formation. He stuck two fingers up and flicked his wrist forwards. Everyone nodded and followed him into the shaft. From here on out, they would be silent. The hostages' lives would be at risk if they alerted the enemy to their presence.

After several minutes of walking, they arrived at another patched up spot in the shaft. Tyler took out his lightsaber and cut a large opening in the plating. Using the force, he gently pulled the cutout and placed it down on the ground. They then walked through. Now they were inside the current ventilation shafts for the senate building.

They reached a cross in the shafts so they stopped. Toshinori stood in the center of the group and pulled up a hologram of the senate building. It was complete with a bioscan that one of the Venators in orbit completed on the building. There were several clusters of signatures. They deduced that these were the locations that the hostages were being held.

In addition, there were several pairs of signatures moving around the halls. These were presumably patrols. The coverage of the building was quite thorough. Whoever is in charge is definitely a professional.

They continued onwards. Their destination is the farthest into the building they could get before the shafts become too tight to fit through. They reached a vent that is on the ceiling of a hall that a patrol was set to pass through shortly. They waited patiently.

The group then dropped into the hall after kicking the vent out. Tyler signaled and they opened up a private meeting room and hid the bodies in there. They restrained them to prevent them from reporting what happened and then went down the hall.

As they went down the hall, Tyler felt as if there was a dark presence focusing on him. It felt cold and harbored ill intent. 'Hmmm, I guess a Sith might be involved. We must be careful.'

They continued to a crossroads in the halls. Tyler raised his fist and they stopped. He then pointed to Toshinori and had him take point. There was another patrol approaching from in front of them. This time it was two bounty hunters.

Toshinori readied his vibroblade shortswords. He got into an athletic stance and waited for them to be in position. As soon as they began to round the corner, he activated a skill called Extreme Speed. In an instant, he was across the hall and the bounty hunters' heads were sliding off of their torsos.

They had a general plan. For player patrols, they would knock unconscious and detain them. This would prevent their party members from discovering that they are dead and also prevent them from respawning to inform their party of what happened. For NPC patrols, they would just kill them.

Now that they were past those two patrols, they reached the first room. Checking the holo map, it was apparent that there were 5 hostiles monitoring the hostages. It was also a possibility that there were enemies hidden among the hostages.

Using some hand signals, they organized their plan to breach and clear. Tyler stood ready to blow the doors in. On the ready signal, he sent out a wave of telekinetic energy and slammed the doors open. As he did this, he rolled to the side and hid from view.

Everyone inside spun towards the open door. On the other side of the room, one of the doors inched open just a bit. Through the door, a small ball quietly rolled into the room. Suddenly, there was a flash and a deafening sound. Everyone inside covered their eyes and reeled from the pain.

The Limitless group charged into the room. They quickly dispatched the bounty hunters. Tyler focused on the players and easily knocked them unconscious using the force. There were no challenges for him when it came to these players. They were at least 20 levels lower than him.

Tyler stood up. "Is everyone okay?"

They all nodded. One man stood up in the middle. "Lord Draco, we can't thank you enough."

Tyler smiled. "Senator Bail Antilles, it has been a while. Don't worry about it. How could I not come when my mother is here?" He laughed.

Bail nodded. "What should we do now?"

Tyler sighed. "Unfortunately, I am going to have to ask that you guys hang tight for a bit. Guards will come for you all once these terrorists are dealt with."

Bail sighed. "That is fine. Please hurry. I would hate for anything to happen to my colleagues."

Tyler nodded. "Alright boys, let's go." They headed to the next group of hostages. As they headed out, they got a notification.

*1 of 7 Hostage groups released.*

Tyler sighed. '6 more to go.' Seconds later…

He turned to the group. "Let's hurry. We don't know the requirements for the hidden reward. I'd like to be the one to save my mom anyways." They nodded and they started running down the hall. After realizing how weak the ȧssailants were, they were much more bold in their approach. They dispatched another three patrols on their way to the next cluster.

The next room was a bit different. There were two levels inside. One was an atrium and the other was a balcony that lined the outside of the room.

They decided on a two staged approach for this round. They all went up to the second level. Fortunately, there were doors that opened into this level. As they were about to round the corner, Tyler raised his fist. They stopped on a dime.

Down the hall, there were two bounty hunters guarding the doors. Tyler closed his eyes and reached out with the force. He closed his fist and raised his hand. They two NPCs floated down the hall towards them as they were choked. Using his free hand, he ignited his lightsaber and skewered the two bounty hunters.

They silently went down the hall and approached the doors. Inside, there were a total of 3 guards patrolling the upper level. Tyler waved a finger in the air and they nodded.

They slowly opened the door. Using the force, Tyler sent another flash grenade into the middle of the room. It then went off, blinding and deafening everyone in the room. Mcree was the first one in. He used an ability called Quick Draw to dispatch the three guards on the upper level with clean headshots.

Tyler and Toshinori flew through the air. Down below, there were 3 players and 5 bounty hunters. Toshinori landed and then dashed through two bounty hunters. Their heads rolled across the floor as their bodies slumped. Tyler landed on another bounty hunter with both his sabers ignited. They cut clean through his torso, leaving the poor soul in three pieces.

He then used a force enhanced dash and took out another bounty hunter with a twin slash across his torso. Once he came to a stop, he reached out with the force and raised the three players into the air. He flicked his hand and smashed them into the wall, leaving them unconscious.

By the time he was done, Toshi had taken out the last bounty hunter in similar fashion. Tyler turned to the group and saw a familiar face. He ran over and hugged Julia. "Mom, I'm so glad you're okay."

Julia embraced him. "It's okay. In case anything happened, Padme had her blaster hidden."

Tyler broke free from the hug to see Shmi, Emily, and Padme standing next to them.

Padme smiled. "Thank you, Draco. After all you've done for me, I don't know how I could ever repay you."

Tyler shook his head. "You are mistaken Padme. You have been of great help to me as well. Helping get my mother, Shmi, and the rest of my representatives get accustomed to the galactic stage has been great. We would not be in the same position without you."

Padme shook her head. "Oh, that is nothing. After your help on Naboo, it was only natural that I'd extend a helping hand."

Tyler smiled. "It is good to have you as a friend."

Padme nodded. "Indeed."

Tyler then turned to Emily. He walked up and put his arms around her lower back. He pulled her close. "And last but not least, I'm relieved that you are okay. I'd hate for my girlfriend to get hurt."

She smiled and gave him a short kiss. "I had a feeling you would come to save the day."

Suddenly, someone called out. "Lord Draco, there is something urgent that needs to be done."

Tyler released Emily and turned to the voice. It was one of the Chancellor's aides. "What is it?"

She was stressed. "Before we were captured, I received a transmission from the Chancellor's office saying that they were holding out against a group of bounty hunters."

Tyler's eyes lit up. 'This is it! This is the bonus requirement!' He nodded. "I will head there right away. Kai, let's go."

Kai nodded. "Okay, master." They ran out of the room and headed for the Chancellor's office. Along the way, they had to dispatch a few pairs of bounty hunters. They were easily dealt with using Kai's agility and acrobatics. He would become a blur as he would jump towards them and take them out in a green flash.

They reached the elevator shaft that led up to their destination. Tyler pulled up a holo map as they rode upwards. It seemed as if the bounty hunters managed to break through the defensive line and take the Chancellor hostage. Hopefully their leader would be here too. There was no other possibility for what the requirement could be.

Outside the elevator, two bounty hunters were guarding the entrance to the office. The elevator doors slid open. Weirdly, there was no one inside. One of the bounty hunters walked over to check it out.

As he walked up to the elevator, Kai dropped down from the ceiling and killed him in one slash. At the same time, Tyler dropped down and used the force to silence the woman that was outside. He walked up to her and used the force to snap her neck before laying her gently on the ground.

He turned to Kai and whispered. "How about we do our usual entrance?"

Kai giggled. "If you say so, master."

Tyler walked up to the door and knocked on it gently before calling out in a feminine voice. "Room service!"

After a few seconds, someone called out from inside. "We are busy right now. Come back later." Kai was holding himself up against the wall doing his best to not fall over from laughing. He was blown away with how it works almost every time.

Tyler sighed before knocking again. "I can't do that. The food is hot! I'll get fired if I bring it back down."

A few seconds later, the door slid open. Tyler was waiting at the ready with his lightsaber hilt pointed at the door. He activated it and it ignited right into the bounty hunter's face. He died instantly. "HA! I've always wanted to try that!"

Everyone in the room turned to the door. They realized what happened and reached for their weapons but it was already too late. Kai had already reached the chancellor's desk and killed two bounty hunters.

Tyler ran into the room and dispatched another as he returned a blaster shot back to its sender. He then ignited his other saber and spun. He swung his sabers in a defensive fashion deflecting multiple shots. He then dashed at a cluster of bounty hunters. With a swift series of slashes, he took them down.

Meanwhile, Kai was jumping from bounty hunter to bounty hunter, taking them out with slashes from over their heads. He took out a string of six like this.

Within 10 seconds, every bounty hunter was dead barring the one sitting in the chancellor's seat. Tyler inspected the man.

*Mizaki Shoko, 41 years, Bounty Hunter*

*Level 60*

Tyler scoffed. "So you're Mizaki. You don't seem like much."

Mizaki shrugged before putting his hands up. "I won't resist. I don't stand a chance against you and the gremlin."

Kai glared at him. "I'm not a gremlin you spineless cuck."

Mizaki chuckled. "Whoa! I didn't know they teach you that kind of language in the Jedi Temple. Seems that times have changed."

Tyler nodded affirmingly. "That was a decent comeback, my padawan. Try and make it a bit more direct and relevant next time. It will improve the results."

Kai nodded. "Yes, master."

Valorum stood up. "Lord Draco, what kind of things are you teaching your padawan?"

Tyler laughed. "Oh Chancellor Valorum. Funny seeing you here! It is often useful to possess a sharp tongue when it comes to dealing with criminals."

Valorum sighed. "I can't deny your claim, nor can I support it. Nonetheless, well done. I can't thank you enough for coming to our rescue."

One of his aides was sitting in the other chair. He nodded. "Thank you, Lord Draco."

Tyler waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. It is my duty to the Republic and to my mother to resolve this crisis. I do have a favor to ask of you."

Valorum tensed up. "If it is within my power, I will make it happen. What do you need?"

Tyler smiled. "I merely wish to take custody of our friend over here. I wish to cooperate with the Jedi Temple and investigate this case… personally."

Valorum heaved a sigh of relief. "That is easily doable. As soon as this is all over, I will sign the documents to have him officially transferred to your custody. For now, however, I will allow you to detain him unofficially. With your status, there should be no issues. If anyone questions you, tell them to contact my office."

Tyler nodded. "Thank you, Chancellor. I will ensure that those behind this atrocity will be brought to justice." What Tyler didn't tell Valorum is that he has no intention of working with the Jedi Temple. They would be far too humane when it comes to interrogation. In addition, he had other plans for the bounty hunter in question.