Fic: Young Jedi Part 4: Who Really Needs the Force Anyway? Timo/Barthu. PG-13.

[museofspeed]

Title: Who Really Needs the Force Anyway?
Fandom: Young Justice
Characters: Timo/Barthu, Darth Lobo/Anita, Ca'as, Steff, Cassi, Cissie, Konel, Oracle, Greta.
Prompt: fanfic100: 81. How?
Word Count: 1950
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The battle against the Sith has begun! Watch our Young Jedi friends sneak around an enemy ship! And two of the Sith Lords look incredibly familiar!
Author's Notes: Part 4 of Young Jedi. First part here, previous part here. This was supposed to be the last part but, well, it got long. I'm almost done with the last part, though, so it shouldn't be too long a wait.


"Red Robin 3, come in. This is the Oracle."

Timo touched the communicator in his ear. "I'm reading you, Oracle," he said. "What's happening?"

"Bruce is being his usual cheerful self, the Jedi League is having trouble accepting that I'm not actually a droid, and we're still half an hour away."

"Grife," Timo said. "We'll hold off the Sith Lords until then."

"Bruce is trying to get them let me into their system to speed us up. We might be able to cut the time to 15, 20 minutes."

"Great. Do they still think we're immature children who are only doing this because we want to get attention?"

"Pretty much," Oracle said. "Dik and I are trying to convince them otherwise."

"Thanks, O. I'll tell Cassi."

"Good luck, Timo. Oracle out."

Timo touched his communicator again. "Cassi?" he said.

"Yeah?" Cassi said in his ear.

"Oracle made contact. The JL is half an hour away."

"Great," Cassi said. "We can survive a half hour, right?"

"Hope so," Timo said. He glanced at the monitor and frowned. "That's strange."

"What?" Cassi asked.

"These readings...I think we're in a tractor beam!"

"Frag!" Cassi said. "Everyone! We're in a tractor beam! We need Cissie to stay outside. Konel, use the Force to pull the ship you and Cissie are on back. Everyone else who can, push!"

"Take the wheel, Timo," Barthu said. "I've gotta concentrate."

Sweat glistened at Barthu's hairline. Timo watched the monitors carefully. For a moment, it seemed they wouldn't make it, then Konel and Cissie's ship halted and started backing up.

"Yes," he whispered. Barthu flashed a grin at Timo.

"We did it!" Konel whooped. "We are the most awesome Jedi ever!"

"Isn't there something in our rules about pride?" Cassi said. "Leading to the Dark Side?"

"Screw the rules," Anita said, looking out the window of the pod she and Ca'as were sharing. She caught Darth Lobo's eye and smiled. "I don't think the Jedi Masters are right about emotion anyway."

"Whatever," Cassi said. "Guys, we've gotta hide somehow."

"Steff, Ca'as and I have PCDs," Timo said.

"What are those?" Cassi asked.

"Personal Cloaking Devices," Timo said. "They can cover two people, so if we put them on, they won't see us."

"And Lobo?" Cassi asked.

"I ain't gonna hide from some stupid bastiches!" Lobo said. "I can keep the guards occupied."

"Lobo!" Cassi said. "It could be fifty of them fighting one of you!"

"Unfair, ain't it?" Lobo said. "Mebbe I should tie a hand behind my back or somethin'."

"Lobo can take care of himself," Anita said.

"Fine," Cassi said. "New plan. Lobo will distract the guards. Ca'as, Steff and Barthu will shut down the tractor beam so that Cissie and Konel can get closer and start blowing stuff up. Timo, Anita and I will find Darth Harmious and whoever else is in charge and stop them by any means necessary," Cassi said. "Everyone got it?"

There were general murmurs of assent.

"Right," Cassi said. "Cissie and Konel? We may not be able to keep contact with you once we're inside, so Greta, we'll send you to tell them when it's safe."

"Roger, Cassi!" Konel said.

"Roger?" Cassi asked.

"It's...something I read," Konel said.

"I'd recommend silence," Timo said. "We're trying to appear abandoned, after all."

"Good idea," Cassi said. "Shut up, everyone."

Timo pulled out his PCD and set it to cover himself and Barthu. To anyone looking in, the pod would seem empty. He watched the spaceship loom closer and closer until they were pulled into it with their teammates.

Timo heard the door slide open and pulled out his blaster, just in case. Barthu was clutching his lightsaber so tightly Timo was afraid it would accidentally turn on.

"No one in 'ere," the guard said, glancing around. "Check the others?"

"Mine's empty," another guard said.

"So's mine," a different one said.

"Freddu?" the first guard said. "Is the spacebike empty too?"

There was silence, then a long scream.

"That's our cue," Timo muttered. He turned off the PCD and walked quietly out of the Pod. The guards were busy trying not to get fragged by Lobo, so they didn't notice.

"Guys!" Cassi was beckoning from the end of the hall.

Barthu scooped Timo up and used the Force to send himself hurtling forward.

"Okay!" Barthu said, stopping quickly and putting Timo down. "Let's go!"



"Man, this is boring," Konel said. "I want some action!"

Cissie rolled her eyes. "Careful what you wish for."

"I mean, it's gonna happen, right? Waiting sucks!"

"Why don't you meditate or something? Jedi are into that, right?"

"Right, right," Kon said. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes, reaching into the Force. Then he opened an eye. "So...how'd you get so good at shooting stuff?"

"My mother was insane," Cissie said. "Made me practice all the time. She was convinced I'd join the Republic's army and become some big shot war hero."

"Did you?"

"No! I don't live with her anymore. I work with Senator Wayne's people because they do a lot of good, but I only rarely see my mom, and that's enough." She glanced over at Konel. "What about you?"

"What about me what?" Konel asked.

"What's your story?"

Konel shrugged. "I don't remember anything of my past before I came to the Jedi Academy. I mean, they've told me I'm from Krypton, but I don't remember anything about it, and I can't remember my family." He shrugged. "I guess I don't have much of a story."

"It's a story, definitely," Cissie said. "Maybe someday you'll find out more."

Konel shrugged. "It's not really important."



"Is she always so scarily competent?" Barthu whispered to Steff as Ca'as knocked another guard out before he noticed she was there.

"She reads body language," Steff said. "So basically...yeah."

"Wow," Barthu whispered, "And she never kills?"

"Nope," Steff said. "Against her religion."

"That's pretty cool," Barthu said.

Ca'as glanced back at them, a questioning look in her eyes.

"This way," Steff said, pushing open a door that said 'Control Room' on the door. Greta floated in.

There are eight guards, she said. Barthu passed her message on to Steff and Ca'as.

They went inside, and Barthu waved his hand. "You all have an overwhelming urge to go to the bathroom. But you can leave the control room with these people. They're trustworthy."

"Man, do you guys mind if I uh, take a break?" one of the guards said. "I really gotta go."

"Yeah, me too," another guard said.

"Hey, we can all take a break," a third guard said. "You guys'll watch the monitors for us, right?"

"Of course," Barthu said.

"Well, alright then." The guards paraded out the door.

"You've got to show me how to do that," Steff said. She walked over to the computer set up. "Man, this is almost as impressive as Oracle's set-up."

"Can you break it?" Barthu asked.

"I can try," Steff said. She sat down at one of the monitors.

Barthu sat in another chair. "You know what's weird?" he said, "They labeled this the Control Room. It's like, haven't they ever been attacked? It makes it so much easier for us! We don't need to work hard to figure out where they are!"

Steff grinned. "It's certainly convenient."

"I know, right?" Barthu said.

Steph flashed a grin, then glared at the computers. "Man, I wish Oracle were here. She'd have no problem with this."



Anita closed her eyes, trusting her instincts to guide her. She could feel a rotting in the Force, repulsing her, telling her to stay away at all costs.

Of course, she went straight towards it.

"Are you sure this is a good way to get there?" Timo whispered.

"Oh yeah," Cassi said. "'Nita's great at the mental Force abilities."

"Shush," Anita said. "We're getting close."

"Closer than you think," a voice said.

"No," Anita said. "Guys it's a –"

"Trap, yes."

They raced around the corner. Darth Harmious was sitting in an ornate chair. It had to be him. He made even Timo's skin crawl, and Timo wasn't connected to the Force.

"Well, what do we have here?" Darth Harmious asked. "You are all the Jedi League could send after me? This is insulting!"

"Hey!" Anita said. "We can totally take you!"

"Please," Harmious said. "You're not even a Padawan, Anita Fite."

"How do you –" Anita started to say.

"The Dark Side holds many secrets that you could only dream of," Harmious said. "Perhaps, though, I could train you in those secrets. Help you get your revenge against the Jedi."

"I'd rather die," Anita said.

"That, also can be arranged," Harmious said.

"You can try," Cassi said.

"And you. Diana Themyscira's apprentice. Slightly more formidable, but still, pathetic," Harmious said. "I don't know why they even bothered to just send two of you, and so young!" He glanced down at them. "It is the Jedi League's fault that you two will now die."

"There are more than two of us," Timo said.

Harmious glanced at him. "Two that matter," he said. "You are not even worth the time it will take to kill you." He twitched his hand, and Timo felt ghostly hands around his neck.

He'd heard of this. He took a gasping breath while he still could. He felt himself lifted off the ground.

"Let go of him!" Cassi shouted.

Timo calmly reached for his blaster on his belt. He could hold his breath for over a minute if needed. A shot from his blaster could distract Darth Harmious enough to let him get down.

"Let him go!" Anita shouted, and Timo could feel the power she imbued the words with.

Timo dropped to the ground.

"Very cute, child," Darth Harmious said. All signs of amusement had left his voice.

Timo's neck was sore. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"Anytime," Anita said, not breaking eye contact with Harmious.

Darth Harmious looked away first. "I don't have time to deal with you. Luckily, I don't have to." He snapped his fingers, and two young Sith Lords walked out.

"Darth Thaddeus, Darth Primius, deal with these trespassers."

Cassi frowned. "Is it just me or..."

"Yeah," Timo said. "They look exactly like Barthu and Konel."



"Done!" Steff said.

"Go, Greta!" Barthu said. Greta waved at him and vanished into the Force.

" – was refreshing," one of the guards said as he walked back in. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Grife!" Barthu said. "Steff! Ca'as! Run! I'll hold 'em off!"

"But – " Steff said.

"I can catch up! I'm really fast!" Barthu said. He pulled out his lightsaber. "Go!"

"Kid's a sprocking Jedi!" the guard said. "Backup! I need backup!"

"Grife," Barthu muttered as he deflected the guards' blasts. At least Steff and Ca'as had got away. He turned to run, but there were more guards. He was surrounded, and deflecting blasts as fast as he could, but there were so many, and even with the Force helping him he was getting tired.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his shin, and he crumpled.

"No," he whispered. The first guard went up to him, blaster pointed at his skull. He pressed a button in his helmet.

"Darth Harmious, sir, we found an intruder. Yes, sir, he's a Jedi. What do we do with him, sir? No, he's not dead yet, sir. Alright, sir." He stared down at Barthu. "Tie him up," he said. "Rope type 832."

Barthu could only weakly resist as they grabbed his arms and tied them behind his back with some sort of stretchy and uncomfortable rope. He tested it, attempting to vibrate his molecules as Maxius had taught him, but the rope just absorbed the energy. Special rope, then. Great.

Someone hit him over the head with a blaster and everything went black.

NEXT.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

You're ending it there?! Its . . . there must be some rule against that!
I'm always happy to see a new installment of this series. This one was good. I think I might have found a typo, though:
"Ca'as, Anita and Barthu will shut down the tractor beam so that Cissie and Konel can get closer and start blowing stuff up. Timo, Anita and I will find Darth Harmious and whoever else is in charge and stop them by any means necessary," Cassi said.
Er, is Anita with both groups? Is she switching between them? I'm a little confused.
A great installment in a great series.

[museofspeed.livejournal.com]

...Anita was supposed to be Barthu in that first group. I kept changing around the groups at first. My beta caught me saying that Barthu waved her hand earlier.

And there will be another part! It's a cliffhanger!

[museofspeed.livejournal.com]

...actually, she was supposed to be Steff...

[(Anonymous)]

Okay. Thanks. That makes it a little clearer.

[amarin-rose.livejournal.com]

OOoh, the plot thickens! And Thad and SB Prime are here - will they turn to the good side, or be fragged? And will Konel's origins end up anything like in Spaceballs? :P

[museofspeed.livejournal.com]

I'm almost at the end of the last part...and my lips are sealed! However, I will say that a pairing that I honestly didn't expect seems to have shown up without my permission.

Also, it's sort of an SB Prime/Match Hybrid. Because Darth Match? Sucky name.

[amarin-rose.livejournal.com]

True. Darth Grudge? Like Grudge Match?