A/N: At last! The final installment of my absurdly large AU (for details/stories/story order, see my profile)! A couple of housekeeping notes:
This story is divided into 2 parts. This is the prologue of part 1, which is completed. Part 2 is… about halfway done. Getting there. I hope to have it completed by the time this part (16 chapters + prologue) is entirely posted. It's going to be a long one though- part 1 is just shy of 50,000 words and part 2 is already pushing 30. So buckle in for a crazy ride.
Secondly- I'll be posting a 'Guide to OCs' after the prologue. This is for any readers who either a) came late into the series and perhaps missed some of the earlier stories (or just need an OC refresher) or b) for readers who are intrigued by the onset here but don't want to go read a bunch of other stories to understand this one. Just know that there is a lot of reference to prior stories and old characters, and this story is, I think, less forgiving to the newcomer reader than the others have been.
But I, of course, hope you'll try it out. ;-)
Chapter 1 will be posted in about a week, to give anyone time to check out earlier stories if they so desire. :-) After that, expect an update every 2 days.
Setting: 46-47 ABY, with flashbacks as far back as 27 BBY.
Characters: Pretty much everyone from this AU (even some dead ones are marginally relevant)
Rating: T – occasional innuendo, violence, swearing, etc
Note- pay close attention whenever a date is given for a section- this means there is a shift in the setting of the story timeline and you're reading a past-scene. Also note the dates given in the prologue- none of them are in the 46/47 ABY time frame of the rest of the story.
Disclaimer: Recognizable characters, terms, etc are the property of Lucasfilms, LTD- I am just playing with the creations of others for my own sick amusement. ;-)
X-X
It was like waking from the longest sleep… the longest sleep, filled with decades' worth of dreams- but those dreams weren't dreams at all, they were… memories.
Memories…
Whose memories?
There was a sensation, like he'd forgotten something vitally important. Something he'd done? Something he was supposed to do?
Something he was?
X-X
The Value of Sacrifice
Part One
"You cannot be so insulated against rumor and gossip as this- why do you think he directed his comments towards Kyp Durron? Leyla is a Fel in name only, not blood… and by admitting the truth of the matter, it will guarantee that the Chiss never give a second thought to Leyla again."
-Luke Skywalker to Cal Omas and Kenth Hamner- New Beginnings
X-X
Her hands stilled at the controls of the small, lightly-armed cargo ship; drawing a deep breath, she raised her eyes to the viewport and stared at the scene before her.
The kilometer-long, needle-like Star Destroyer hovered ominously a hundred kilometers ahead; its launch bays sat inactive, though she had little doubt that the complement starfighter squadrons sat ready to launch, should it prove necessary. She didn't think it would be necessary.
They probably didn't either, given the four assault cruisers and accompanying Clawcraft which were mirroring her ship's movements rather effectively. She came around slightly- the cruisers and Clawcraft matched the slight maneuver with clinical precision- and stared at the blue-grey icy world beyond the other ships.
She had been born on Csilla, had spent the first year and a half of her life there, had been back to it a dozen times before the age of eleven, before circumstances forced the Fels to abandon the Ascendancy for good. Somehow, that fact- the fact that this was her home world in a way that Coruscant could never be- was ironically fitting.
And as she fought to calm herself, to find that inner peace, it occurred to Leyla that it was strangely poetic, when all was said, that she should meet her end at the hands of the Chiss after all.
X-X
Prologue
27 BBY – Csaus – Chiss Ascendancy
"Destroy it."
"Mitth'raw'nuruodo…"
He slammed a fist down on the table. "Destroy it, Syndic. The project is unstable and, more importantly, is no longer necessary. The Vagaari, if any remain alive, have buried their heads and will not be showing them again for quite some time."
"And when they do," Assistant Syndic Csun'abr'inrokini said steadily, "we will be ready for them; but only if you allow our work here to go unhindered!"
Two pairs of glowing red eyes met each other challengingly, and Mitth'raw'nuruodo took a deep breath to calm himself from his uncharacteristic fit of passion. "Syndic," he murmured lowly, "your attempts at isolating and eliminating the mutating effects of the pathogen have failed- need I remind you of the havoc you will wreak if it jumps to another species in the region? Whole biospheres could be ruined in moments."
His tone held a quiet warning, but the other held his ground firmly. "And you have just told me that the Vagaari will give my scientists plenty of time to perfect the product." Mitth'raw'nuruodo worked his jaw angrily a moment before turning heel; he only made it three steps, however, before Csun'abr'inrokini stopped him. "What of the Far Outsiders, Commander? You once spoke of tailoring this project to them as well."
Without turning, the commander, clad in his black CEDF uniform, spoke softly. "We were unable to obtain a usable sample from the Far Outsiders- you know this, Syndic."
"If they are as formidable opponents as you say, they will be back, and we will have other opportunities." He paused a moment, but the other still did not turn. "Thrawn," he adopted his informal core name as he spoke softly and seemingly changed the subject completely, "I am sorry about your brother."
Mitth'raw'nuruodo's voice was determinedly steady, but quieter. "I merely wish I had answers, Syndic Nabrin. I have faith that Thrass died an honorable death."
Csun'abr'inrokini considered pointing out that they had no way of knowing that Mitth'ras'safis was truly dead; he had simply disappeared. He kept his mouth shut on the topic, however, trusting in his somber companion's belief that, had his brother remained alive, he would have found means of getting word back. "Thrawn, your grief is understandable, but you are letting it rule your emotions. I think your grief for the loss of your brother is combining with the guilt you feel for what became of this outsiders' expeditionary party- their deaths were not your fault, Commander."
"In my pride, I underestimated the power of these Jedi beings. My pride killed them- fifty thousand of them, slaughtered for one life."
"Not for one life, Mitth'raw'nuruodo!" the Syndic snapped. "The devastation that could be wrought, should the Far Outsiders be permitted to study the beings and cultures of this galaxy, is worth far more than the fifty thousand who perished at the hands of this Sidious- not your hands, Thrawn- his." He took a deep breath and stared firmly at the younger chiss. "Is it tragic, to see so many innocent lives ended? Yes. It is against our deepest beliefs. But you know better than I that none among these Far Outsiders are innocent, and they will do all in their power to make the innocents of this galaxy suffer. And we can stop that from happening, Commander- but only if you continue to uphold our pact of secrecy for this project. Because you are right about one thing- it does need to be perfected, lest it destroy unintended targets."
For a long time, Mitth'raw'nuruodo looked around the room, looked at the stacks of datacards detailing more than two years worth of work, of painstaking scientific research, conducted by the highly secretive team under the syndic's instruction.
He sighed. "Store it somewhere safe- somewhere no one can ever find it, save yourself. If- if- the military encounters the Far Outsiders again, I will see to it that you receive any available genetic samples that are leftover. Until then, it is not worth the potential devastation, should this fall into the wrong hands."
X-X-X-X
39 ABY – Exocron
Talon Karrde glanced around with something akin to nervousness as he entered the mansion-like abode for the first time in twenty years, not wholly sure why he was there to begin with. But the message had urged him come, and come alone, and he'd had not the slightest clue as to the reason until little Entoo Nee had greeted him upon his arrival.
"He is dying, Master Karrde," the somber little man had informed him. "And he wishes to see you one last time."
When he'd made this journey twenty years prior, with Shada being paranoid and suspicious, and Threepio complaining every other step, he had been frightened of the wrath of a wronged man- only to find that the wrath did not exist, that Jorj Car'das was actually grateful to him for securing the remains of his organization and rebuilding it into something of which to be proud. Now, his emotions were indescribable, and he wondered what dying words a man like Jorj Car'das would have to impart on a man like Talon Karrde.
Upon reaching the house, Entoo Nee bade him wait in a sitting room, before going off to see if his friend and master was ready to accept the visitor. He was back not two minutes later, and Karrde followed him around the expansive estate to the master bedroom.
Entoo Nee tapped twice, softly, and the door swung open to admit them. Karrde took two steps in the room, passing the small man who stepped off to the side, and then stopped short upon realizing that Car'das already had a visitor- a cloaked figure, hood drawn over his head, but one hand gripping that of the dying man in the bed. When Car'das' eyes lit upon Karrde and the cloaked figure turned, he couldn't stop the reflex to reach for his blaster-
-which had been smoothly slid from its holster by Entoo Nee, who looked mildly apologetic as he backed towards the door with it.
"Talon," Car'das called out, voice surprisingly even despite his weakened state, "please- allow me to explain."
X-X-X-X
43 ABY – Mid Rim – Near Kril'dor
The disorientation that Zekk felt as he was prematurely pulled from a trance during the jump between Dorin and Kril'dor lasted for about half a second; it was then replaced with mild alarm at the realization that an interdictor cruiser sat in the middle of deep space, light years from anything of importance. There was a slight measure of relief though as he visually confirmed the presence of Tahlia's StealthX a kilometer off his starboard wing, intact and unharmed.
Pirates with an interdictor? he thought wryly, trying to get a meaningful reading from the 600-meter-long ship.
His partner and girlfriend of some nine years seemed skeptical, and, getting a general read on her own thoughts through their strong bond, Zekk had to concur that a pirate gang that not only had an interdictor cruiser, but also had the manpower to crew it, would have garnered attention from the Galactic Alliance long before now. Yet the message they had received from Talon Karrde- who was surprisingly well-informed of their whereabouts on Dorin- suggested that this was a relatively recent problem that was nevertheless wreaking havoc on Kril'dor's Tibanna industry.
Tahlia began a swooping flank of the cruiser and Zekk followed as his astromech continued pulling readings on the size of the projected gravity well. "Bex," he murmured to his droid, "where's the bridge on that thing?" A twiddling response drew a frown of consternation. "What do you mean you don't know? It's a Sienar ship, surely you have those design logs?"
But a quick burst of realization from Tahlia answered his question moments before Bex could, and Zekk gave the cruiser a bit more attention. Sure enough, the main bulk of the ship was a traditional design, updated but originating before even the rise of the Empire. There were further modifications on this particular vessel though- it was smoother, sleeker… and had the tactical benefit of a concealed bridge, located discreetly within the main frame of the ship, rather than perched jauntily on top.
There was only one military Zekk knew of that took and modified older ship designs in such a way, but it was wholly inconceivable that this was a Chiss cruiser; they were near Ascendancy space, but not in it, and for the CEDF to send a vessel outside their own borders and into those of the Galactic Alliance would go against every basic tenet of its military philosophy.
Nevertheless…
"Let's get out of here," Zekk muttered aloud to no one, but felt Tahlia's sentiments mirror his own through their connection. "Before they realize they actually snagged something out-"
The jolting of his ship cut him off mid-sentence, and it was another few seconds before he accepted the impossible fact that the cruiser had them in a tractor beam. Their matte-black ships, all-but invisible to the naked eye even from nearby, their stealth technology, their sensor invisibility… for the cruiser to have them in a tractor-lock meant that not only did they know precisely where they would be… but when they would be there.
"It seems," Zekk murmured into the deathly silence of his cockpit, "that we have been betrayed."
X-X-X-X
A/N: To avert avoidable confusion- the first prologue scene is heavily based in Outbound Flight; the second in Vision of the Future; and the third, from a brief section of mine and Future ADA's collaborative fic in this AU (set immediately before this one, in 43 ABY- listed under HER profile, not mine) Of Nexus and Nobles.
Again, OC guide will go up shortly (as 'chapter 2'), chapter 1 will be posted next Tuesday (11/29). In the meantime, thanks for checking out, and a happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans out there.
Cheers,
*~Lexi~*