Vow of Silver Dawn Chapter 15

====
PDF Download link: https://mega.nz/file/CI0FXaCR#wnKfnxevMIJZJXGBSayK94io6kU0hmVawNnb6YxU_Yg
I recommend it! Easier on the eyes.
====
Chapter 15: The Proper Way to Threaten
By 国王陛下, Translated by 74translations
Notes at the end

	When it comes to Xiajing's local speciality, even a finger-sized shot worth of drink was a truly intoxicating quantity. In the Qian System, Mastema's glass could be said to be pure sincerity.

	But just as the Jedi Master went to drink, a strange thing happened.

	"ugh....uough!"

	Nan Qianyu had suddenly found breathing very difficult, and began to make wretching noises. His skin seemed to become ashen, and his eyes went bloodshot. In less than a second, he seemed to have turned into something inhuman.

	In a flash, Mastema's expression hardened, and after putting down her glass, she was at Nan Qianyu's side.

	At the same time, Shawn took the glass, and from the device attached to his wrist produced a tiny mechanical arm attached to which was a probe he used to test the liquor. Almost instantly, it sounded an alarm.

	Nan Qianyu’s face rapidly swelled as though it were a balloon, and a bizarre tumor seemed to be growing upon it. "As expected.... you wanted to.... kill me... to keep me quiet..." he said, struggling to speak.

	Mastema paid his misunderstanding no mind, and instead focused on how she was going to save him.

	She was possessed with quite a considerable understanding of the medical sciences, but even this Jedi Master was unable to determine what exactly had been used to poison Nan Qianyu, or how best to treat him.

	She attempted to reach out with the Force, but was interrupted by the sound of an alarm.

At a loss for words, Mastema stared blankly at Shawn.

	Shawn immediately put the glass down, and ceased trying to analyze the poison, instead switching to using his communicator (and adapter purchased aboard the passenger ship) to connect to the system's internal Holonet.

	Shawn's face instantly changed however once he saw the news, "Master, this can't be right, news of Nan Qianyu's poisoning is already up! And it looks like the police have already been deployed!"

	"Shawn, prepare to carry out our contingency." Mastema instructed.

"Yes, Master."

	The Jedi pair had never taken a mission lightly, and before they had even arrived at Xiajing they had come up with a number of contingencies.

	At this moment though, a squad of black body armoured police officers wielding blasters slowly approached in small, measured steps. With a number of blasters pointed at the Jedi pair, they began to shout, "Freeze!"

"Hands on your head!"

	"Kneel in the corner!"

	"Xiajing Police!"

	Shouting all the while, the heavily-armed squad of police surged their way into the room.

	Shawn looked upon the officers and felt a certain coldness in his heart: From their movement to their armaments, they all embodied the notion of being "elite," and yet they were little more pieces abandoned on the chessboard.

	Whoever set this trap should've known that their opponents were Jedi, so it would've been impossible to not know that blaster-armed police would be able to do little against them.

	In this bar's small private room, even if Mastema chose to do nothing, armed with his lightsaber, Shawn alone could disable every officer present.

	That was probably what whoever was working behind the scenes wanted: Those grand Jedi Knights, poisoning Nan Qianyu, temporary head of the Nan Family, in the middle of the capital, and then going on to openly slaughter Xiajing Police...

	Were that to happen, the Jedi would earn the scorn of thousands, and the Republic would no longer be able to rely upon the Jedi to have dealings with the Qian System.

	It was a pity that these police underestimated the ability of the Jedi.

	Mastema faced the blaster-wielding police, and calmly began to speak, "Put down your weapons, and call your superior over."

	After a moment, the faces of the seven officers seemed slacken, and they simultaneously put down their blasters, and murmered, "We should really call the Director Xia in."

	Upon hearing the phrase "Director Xia," Mastema's brows furrowed, and she could see that Shawn too shared her expression.

	Director Xia, based on materials publically available in Xiajing, was most likely the Qiankun Coporation's Director of its Security Bureau, Xia Yan.

	As a high ranking Corporate officer, he was only one step removed from the board of directors, and the Security Bureau under his charge  was responsible for the safety of hundreds of billions. Needless to say his was a celebrated and respected position.

	Such an important person was giving orders directly to the police?

	In a heartbeat, Shawn had an idea, and took half a step forwards, and prepared to compel the police to say more.

	Even if he was not as proficient in the Force as his master, and couldn't quite hypnotize a crowd of people with the same ease as snapping one’s fingers, influencing one person was hardly outside his ability.

	It was too bad then that just as Shawn's opportunity came, the sound of hurried footsteps came echoing down the hall.

	Compared to the police that had entered, the footsteps were heavier and steadier, and based on the sound alone, a markedly more firm and upright figure formed in Shawn's mind.

	Their commander was coming.

	So Shawn decided he'd not embarass one of the lower level squaddies and just wait for Xia Yan to arrive, so he could hear it from the man himself.

	They weren't incognito in the estate after all, and they had to be sure of the truth, so there was no need for their hands to be tied in this instance, and they could ask directly.

	But after only a moment, Xia Yan walked in on long strides, clad in light armour, and wearing something of a cold smile. At that moment, Mastema raised her arm to block Shawn.

Yet Shawn too could tell that the opportunity had passed.

	When Xia Yan, the head of the Security Bureau, the man responsible for hundreds of billions, walked through the door, there were three red lights on the back of his head, and the words he spoke were precise and to the point, "If there are any signs that I've been hypnotized, those snipers blow my brains out, and you'll be murderers."

	Shawn was at a loss for words: This kind of approach was definitely a novel one, a sort of show of strength to gain an advantage. A demonstration that the Jedi had been anticipated as a potential foe, and already, it seemed their back-up plan wasn't going to work.

	Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his Master turning it over in her head and he could tell that he had to buy her time.

	"You know if you really wanted a deterrent, you should've put a micro-bomb somewhere on your body, and then given the detonator to someone else. It'd be safer than a sniper."

	Xia Yan didn't say a word, and ignored Shawn, instead sweeping the room with his eyes before speaking, "I knew the Republic and the Jedi had it out for the for the Qiankun Corporation, but I didn't think they were at the point where they'd dare to commit murder in the middle of the capital. You've really earned yourselves the title of Executioners of the Republic."

	Upon hearing this, Shawn asked his Master, "Was that in the plan?"

	Mastema kept her eyes on Director Xia, and took the opportunity to reply, "Of course, but if it were part of the plan, then we'd have to have been planning for a while. Perhaps it was while we were on the ship, or perhaps it was when Nan Heli had died, or maybe even from before Nan Heli's death, all in order to care of those who might follow..."

	Before the Jedi Master could finish however, Xia Yan’s face had already started to give, and he began to wave off his escort, much to their astonishment, though they pulled back nevertheless.

	All that was left in this little private room were three living individuals, and one dead one.

	The Jedi were in no rush however, as the back of Xia Yan's head still remained set in those sniper's sights, and there were some things that were best said without any ears in the immediate vicinity.

	"Master Mastema, given that the Republic knows the importance of Nan Heli's death, why get involved? The Qiankun Corporation and the Republic have had peaceful relations for many years now, is it really worth sullying that for the sake of one insignificant person?”

	"An insignificant person's death could hardly be one of any importance now could it? You contradict yourself, and at this point, it's no longer just one death."

	"I think you ought to double-check the plan." Shawn said.

	Xia Yan's face flashed with annoyance, but he suppressed his anger, "If you leave now, we can pretend like none of this happened."

	"And if we don't, then you'll dirty the Jedi Order's good name?" Mastema replied.

	"If you don't, then all the Republic's crimes against the Qiankun Corporation will be made known for all of the Qian System to see." Xia Yan replied, stiffly.

	"I'm afraid that if we really were to just leave, then evidence of a conspiracy to assassinate might just appear as well," Mastema said.

	"The evidence already exists, the only difference is whether or not we make it public." Xia Yan said, his face still stony.

	As he spoke, he walked over to the table, and picked up the ornament with the hidden recording device, and said, "this little chest decoration has a recording of you entering, and of you conversing with Nan Qianyu. In the middle of that recording, Nan Qianyu expresses a concern that Nan Heli's death had something to do with the Jedi, and cites a number of reasons for it. After that, he is poisoned, and dies, right after suggesting that the Jedi are assassins."

	Shawn thought back to their conversation, and asked, "And you're just going to take that recording out of context?"

	"Let any third party give this a listen, and you two would have little room to argue. Especially since this belonged to Nan Qianyu himself. No-one would believe that someone of the Nan Family would sacrifice their own life just to frame you. So you can see, the evidence is already conclusive beyond the shadow of a doubt.”

	Xia Yan grasped the ornament in his hand as though he had grapsed victory itself, but Shawn couldn't help but laugh, "Ha, in that case why don't you go ahead and broadcast that conclusive evidence then, Mister Director?"

	Xia Yan looked a bit distracted, like he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. Crushing the ornament to pieces with his hand, he extracted a tiny microchip from within, and inserted it into a slot on his gauntlet.

	After a moment, a melodious composition began to play from the gauntlet. As for the conversation, it simply wasn't there.

	Shawn absentmindedly rubbed his wrist. A little while earlier, when Mastema had done her little trick with the flower petals, Shawn had also performed a little trick of his own——While Nan Qianyu had been distracted, he destroyed the recorder's microchip with the help of a tiny droid.

	Just one of the habits he had made his own. Preparedness averts peril, after all.

	At this, Xia Yan was silent for a good while, before starting through grit teeth, "So you destroyed the evidence. The Jedi's methods are indeed quite impressive. Yet in circumventing the law in this manner, do you so arrogantly think the Qiankun Corporation ought to fear the Jedi Order?

	"You really aren't afraid of the Jedi?" Shawn asked, sincerely.

	Xia Yan's face remained gloomy and cold, and utterly wordless.

	Mastema, internally, found it quite amusing.

	Shawn had brought up an interesting point: Were the Qiankun Corporation afraid of the Jedi Order? Of course they were! If they weren't afraid, then why did their director of their grand security bureau bring three snipers with him to negotiate with the two of them? Why else might they try to use Nan Qianyu, Board Member of Nanming Capital, as some sacrifical pawn with which to slander the Jedi?

It was because deep within their hearts, the Jedi Order inspires dread. Only then would one elect to undertake such machinations, only then would one plan to have their own head shot, all in order to help project a facade of strength.

	But the Jedi Master quickly suppressed her smile, as there was still little in the current situation to be optimistic about.

	Even though they had ruined the trick of the ornament recorder, it still hadn't changed the overall predicament much. To quickly review the current state of affairs, the Jedi's opponent was likely to be the colossus that was the entirety of the Qiankun Corporation itself, whose reach and scale far exceeded comprehension, that wouldn't stop at just a mere recorder hidden in a bit of ornamentation to try and frame them.

	It wouldn't be all that surprising if they simply took some other recording out of context.

	The Qiankun Corporation didn't need to convince everyone, just the natives of the Qian System.

	Therein lied the greatest difference between this system and Bergamore. The Qiankun Corporation really did have the popular will of its myriad people, from thousands of years of rule, the Corporation's foundation in this system was unbreakable.

	As for the Republic, it was even more subtle. Despite so many years of arm's length amicability, it didn't mean that the Senate was at any particular oddds with the Qiankun Corporation. Just the opposite, in fact. The more lukeworm their relationship remained, the more leniency the Senate was likely to show. It was evident from the specs of the ship they travelled in, to the technological advancement evident in the local droids, it was clear that the Qiankun Corporation enjoyed special treatment——When that Bergamore Autocrat wanted a taste of Coruscant's luxuries, he had to import it all through Opera Trading.

	The only factor that seemed to balance the scales was that the Qiankun Corporation still feared the reputation of the Jedi.

	Which is why Mastema chose to ask, "Are you truly prepared to frame a Jedi Master?"

	Confronted with the Jedi Master's question and utter calm, Xia Yan felt a surge of some indescribable feeling bubble up inside himself. He didn't say anything for a while, before gently replying, "As far as I know, the Jedi aren't typical law enforcement. You often play the role of diplomats or ambassadors, and are quite well versed taking into account all the factors invovled in a decision..."

	Before he could finish though, Mastema cut him off, "Don't mistake the purpose of the Jedi. We might be adept at analyzing, but distorting the truth is never our intent. We lack wicked intent."

	In turn, Xia Yan replied, "You've seen all that the Qiankun Corporation has achieved here in the Qian System, you have first hand knowledge of us. Perhaps you've even also found flaws, but this prosperity is real. There are countless systems in the Outer Rim, all who give the appearance of being more powerful or prosperous than Qian, but none have the Qiankun Corporation, and so none can afford to give hundreds upon billions of people peaceful lives.”

	"Were the Qiankun Corporation to be destablized, it would mean the end of the peace of  these hundreds of billions of people's lives. Now, if you want to you want to disrupt the Qiankun Corporation over the deaths of a measely two people, then that would be putting your own morals above the well-being of billions."

	"If the Qiankun Corporation truly wished to have talks with us, then you should've approached us the moment we set foot upon Xiajing, rather than attempt to despicably frame us for a poisoning. These are the actions of a ruler that is holding the well-being of billions hostage. In truth, these people would live much better lives without you," Mastema replied.

	Having reached this point, it was clear that Xia Yan was also no longer going to try and change anyone's mind, and said, "Very well then. The Xiajing police will be taking you into custody as suspects in the assassination of Nan Qianyu, and will begin legal proceedings shortly. You are, however, Jedi Knights, and are more than capable of forcefully resisting arrest. Who knows how many you could kill in a crowd."

	Xia Yan continued on, "There's only a few dozen armed officers here, and a few dozen battle droids. If the rumors about the Jedi are to be believed, it would be quite a bloody battle, and these heroic officers would nevertheless be completely wiped out. And, with such fierce fighting, there'd be over a hundred lives lost in this establishment. Those lives will be on your head!"

	Shawn couldn't help but feel a swell of anger at his words.

	Over a hundred lives lost? Was he really so savage, that he would treat the lives of over a hundred people as a bargaining chip, all so that he could better entrap the Jedi!?

	"I have no doubt that you would be capable of such an act," Mastema stated, "But I must ask you this: Since you treat human life as such a trifling manner, then why not simply rid yourselves of us while we were in transit, or even before that? Have us blown up, and report to the Republic that it was an accident. Would that have not been more convenient?"

Xia Yan smiled coldly, but did not speak.

	If it were that simple, then he'd have arranged for someone to plant a bomb! But his opponents were Jedi, and one was a Jedi Master at that!

If they let an illustrious Jedi Master die in their capital under myseterious circumstances, would they just wait for the Republic to send peacekeeping forces? Or would they be forced to contend with the Jedi Order sending even more to investigate more thoroughly?

In fact, to Xia Yan, there was a bit of absurdity attached to this whole conspiracy: The Qiankun Corporation wanted more than anything else than to frame these two Jedi, yet they had no desire to see them dead.

At the same time, Mastema smiled, "Indeed, you don't want us dead."

Xia Yan's brow furrowed. Inside him there was forming a sort of indescribable feeling of apprehension.

Everything had gone exactly according to plan. The Jedi had been backed into a corner, and their only recourse now would be to surrender and reach a compromise, and return with the "truth of the death of Nan Heli" as dictated by the Qiankun corporation. Their story would go down in history as the truth.

If they were to be so foolish as to resist.... no, rather, if they were as upright as the Jedi Knights were rumored to be, then no matter what may pass they would still foolishly refrain from any kind of resistance.

It was for this reason that Xia Yan came to them with snipers trained on his head.

Never had he once failed to exploit the good-natured.

But the Jedi Master's face and words had given Xia Yan's heart little reason to be calm so far.

He tried to calm himself, and in his best, oppressive tone, said, "Whether you live or die is dependent entirely on you. Behave well, and you..."

Before he could finish though, the woman lifted her cloak, and brought her palm to her chest.

"Indeed, my fate hinges upon myself, and I think, now is the time I return to the Force."

Shawn turned pale, "Master!?"

The woman's palm was spotless; her slender fingers appeared to possess no power. But already an immense swell of Force was flowing within.

A single twitch, and the Jedi Master could instantly reduce her own heart to dust.

The Jedi Apprentice's mind was at a complete loss and, subconsciously, he wanted to just grab his master by the arm and stop her.

But when faced with the vast ocean that was his Master's Force, Shawn found himself unable to move. But when he locked eyes with her, he finally understood her intentions.

In order to protect the innocent who had been unbeknownst to them taken hostage, and to protect her still young apprentice, she was ready to sacrifice herself to free them from this deadlock.

For an instant, Shawn couldn't help but shudder, and his vision became blurred.

Even though the Jedi were devoted to their rejection of worldly desires, there were few people who valued and loved all life more than the Jedi.

Which left Shawn completely unable to comprehend how or why his Master would display such blatant disregard for her own life!

Mastema took one look at Shawn and said, "Shawn, death is not the end. Do not feel sad."

Shawn silently bowed his head.

Hearing the dialogue between the two, Xia Yan's eyes slowly grew wider, and his heart twisted itself into icy knots.

He did not understand the Force, yet still he understood Mastema's intent.

An unimaginable chill rolled over his heart, causing him to take a few steps back, which caused the snipers trained upon his head to lose their mark.

Xia Yan could not believe his opponent's choice.

Impossible, why would... why!? Was this necessary?

To the Jedi Master, everything that has occured in the Qian System was nothing but an insignificant conspiracy taking place in the galaxy's periphery! Her life was a hundred times more valuable than any here! Didn't she just demonstrate an incredible shrewdness and ability to weigh the pros and cons of a situation?

Xia Yan felt as though there were a thousand things inside him he wanted to say, yet when faced with the eyes of the Jedi Master that seemed to understand all, this Director of the Security Bureau found himself unable to say even half a word.

After the pause, Shawn began to speak, his voice hoarse, "If my Master really does die here, then it doesn't matter how elaborate you make your explanations, it'll never hold. The Republic and the Jedi Order aren't going to just sit idly by. The Order has tons of people more able than us, your plots won't be able to fool them all for very long!”

The Youthful apprentice's ire seemed to consume Xia Yan, thorouhgly smashing the security bureau director's psychological barriers.

Xia Yan lowered his head, his body shaking with its own anger and humiliation, and gnashed his teeth, forcing out a grim smile.

“I knew you Jedi were fools, but I had no idea you were even more idiotic than the rumors said!”

At that, he stilled himself, and asked with a firm voice, "All right then, speak, what are your terms?"






Translation Notes
None this chapter! Or, at least, nothing that I can recall. Feel free to ask, in any case.

Xia Yan: He he, I shall use myself as the hostage!
Mastema: Oh, you too?

At any rate,

https://74translations.wordpress.com/

Thanks for reading!