Chapter I:
Ambush
A lone wanderer sat in the cantina. He slowly finished his drink, silently admiring the taste. He had been on Nar Shaddaa long enough to know that only a few of these places could provide something worth paying for.
As he put down the glass, a two-horned devaronian started to laugh at the other side of the room. The red-faced alien won the opponent's slave girl, and in response, his partner decided to risk the poor woman's daughter as well.
The wanderer looked down to his bag, thinking about the lightsaber hidden under the brown leather. He wanted to get it in his hand, and cut both players into pieces, but he was forced to abandon the idea.
In the old days, when he was twenty or so, he would have done it without hesitation, but these were different times. There was a meeting in place, one that had a large take on the fate of the galaxy. He had to be here in order to make it happen, calmly sitting in front of the table as Luke Skywalker steps in. Stirring trouble could scare him away, making him believe that he is walking into an ambush.
He ordered another drink, and the old times struck him once more. Those days were much simpler. It was only him and the pain he choose to carry within him. There was no war, no wife, no daughter and no dreadful entities who promised to lay waste on the galaxy. Many believed he was the only one capable of stopping them, which made him indispensable in their eyes.
While most people would love to be important, he hated the fame in its entirety. In the old times, he could activate his lightsaber and slaughter anyone who deserved so – knowing that if he gets killed, not a soul on the galaxy would shed a tear because of it. Now, if he dies, many would cry out in pain, and even more would die by a foe that he failed to diminish.
As time slowly passed by, someone approached him. He looked up, taking a sip from his drink. It wasn't Luke Skywalker, but his newest associate: Mara Jade. The woman sat down in front of him, and got to the point without any introduction whatsoever.
"What the hell were you thinking?" she asked, locking eyes with the stranger.
"Jaris Fenn, the Ex-Jedi, at your service," he introduced himself. Most knew him by this name, and by this title. He never wanted to be called like this, but right now, it served its purpose.
"Get to the point," Mara snapped. She had little patience for the likes of him, especially in the situation she and Luke found themselves in.
However, Jaris he was patient. He had to be.
"You are Luke's associate, I presume," he answered, and signed to the waitress droid. "Two more, please."
"Fine, let's pretend we don't know each other," she sighed.
"We don't. We just heard some stories," he answered in a calm, yet determined manner.
"Yes, I heard of about asshole who murdered fifty thousand people aboard a Super Star Destroyer, and thinks he is some sort of a hero."
"Funny, your associate believes the same thing," he answered. "I'm not a hero, I'm just a wretched soul who wants to save a bunch of people, and needs some help doing so."
"What people?" she frowned.
"All the people," he answered. The drinks have arrived. Mara didn't touch it, but he was yearning for some fuel. "I ventured to the Unknown Regions with my crew. I found an ancient civilization of religious fanatics who believe that they were created by some sort of eternal being who wants to kill every sentient life in the galaxy. They knew about us, thanks to me, and they will wreak havoc in the galaxy unless I stop them."
"Interesting. One would expect to hear from such a force if it indeed exists," Mara answered. She looked at her drink, but she didn't touch it.
"They don't want us to know."
"But you do know. And by the looks of it, you want to muster quite a force under your command to stop them," she crossed her legs under the table. "I tracked your little transactions on Nar Shaddaa. It seems like you collected quite a force already."
"Not that much," he shook his head. "All I've got is a bunch of freighters, some corvettes and an old assault ship. They sure come handy, but there is no way I'm going to take them head on with this. I need the real thing. I need warships: top of the line cruisers, military fighters, capital ships. Hell, even a Super Star Destroyer would come in handy."
Mara smiled, but not in the good way. She wasn't swayed by him, she was simply amused by the amount of nonsense she heard from him.
"Where the hell do you plan to get that?" she asked, trying not to laugh in his face. "We are at war, if you haven't noticed."
"I heard about Jakku," he nodded, recalling the battle that took place six weeks ago. "It was a waste."
"It was a waste?" Mara repeated the question, showing how much it angered her. "Half of the Imperial Navy is gone, alongside with one third of the Republic Fleet, and you are telling me, it was a waste?"
"It was, if the losses prevent us from saving the galaxy," he nodded, taking a sip from his drink.
"We can't get you those kind of ships, nor we, nor the Empire. Not at this point. The war is coming to an end, and both sides are determined to end it, now more than ever. Everyone wants to fight, and everyone wants to take part in this fight, not yours. No one will help you, no one is willing to help you," she explained.
"It's a waste then."
He finished his drink.
"As I said, you already have some forces. I advise you to use them against these aliens, or whatever is your real purpose with them," she told him.
"I can't take them head on," he shook his head.
"Trust me, you won't," she sighed. "I played this game long enough to know that. Use your head, search for another way. There is always one, you just have to find it," she stood up from the talking, and turned away from him.
Jaris stared at her while she walked away. He needed those ships, and if they won't give them what he wants, he will find another way to get them.
He paid for the drinks, and sat out for a walk to his old ship. The cantina was close to the docks, he only had to walk half a mile in the warm, filthy streets of Nar Shaddaa to reach it. As he walked on the busy streets, he saw the devaronian escorting his new slaves with chains attached to their necks. He felt the urge again to make justice, but he couldn't risk his life. Not this time.
The Reaver sat in the docks alone, no one dared to touch it while he was away. The black YT-1930 freighter was ready to take off, getting him back to his fleet hidden in the midst of a nebula. He walked up the docking ramp, strangely, the door opened without pushing the button.
A familiar voice called for him as soon as he stepped into the ship.
"So, how did it go?" Selene asked. The twi'lek stood right next to him, pushing the close button with her robotic arm. Unlike most people, she didn't want to cover it with artificial skin. "Did she tell you to fuck off right away, or did you chat a bit?
"How do you know it was her?" Jaris frowned.
"You really thought Luke would waste his time on you?" she smiled, it was the same mocking, yet graceful smile that he fell in love with.
"I had my hopes up," he nodded.
"Yeah, right," she nodded. "And what now? You want another round with the smugglers or are we finally getting back to it?"
"We are getting back to the fleet, then we will try somewhere else," he nodded, and started off to the cockpit.
"Lead the way, my hero!" Selene nodded.
He stopped, and looked back to her.
"What?" he asked, although he knew what was coming. Selene never used sarcasm when she was in a good mood.
"You left me behind. Again," she snapped, glaring at him like a wild nexu staring at her prey. "You are getting out there alone, every single time, without any escort, and you don't even let me come along."
"I can take care of myself," he answered. He seemed cold, but it hurt. It always hurt when they argued with one another.
"No you can't. You are getting ideas, I'm not a Jedi, but I can see it. You think you messed up, and one of these days you are going to something stupid because of it. And I'm not going to be around to stop you, thanks to you."
"I did ruin everything, and you paid more than enough because of it," he answered, glancing at her mechanic arm.
"It's not your fault," Selene answered, raising the limb made of metal. "I got careless, I lost the arm, end of story."
"The point is..." he answered, but Selene interrupted him.
"The point is that you are not getting out this ship without me on your side. I'm not going to lose you too. Got it?"
The seemingly froze between them. Jaris knew what she had to tell her – what she expected to tell her. After all, she was right, he was getting ideas. He wanted to escape from the burden, but he couldn't, because others would pay the price, if he would do so. Others like her or his daughter.
"Fine. Next time you come with me," he nodded.
Selene turned away, getting back to her cabin. He remembered the old times, the good times, when they were nor married nor among the most important persons in the galaxy. They had good times in the ship, and the best times came after the fights, when they both realized how much they needed each other.
But the good times have passed. The marriage got cold, and as the war was raging, things get worse by the day. Most of the time he would go after her, but now he had work to do. They had to get back to the fleet, and he had to think about how he is going to get those ships.
They reached the nebula within a few hours. Although the Reaver had advanced sensors, they couldn't see anything due to the background radiation. Only the Force could guide him forward, which was one of the reasons while he choose this location as a staging point. While his crew had several Force-sensitives, the enemy won't have any of them, which gave them a tremendous advantage over the aggressors.
Jaris heard footsteps as he watched the horizon. Selene approached him to check on the fleet, while dozens of ships appeared on the blue horizon. Small corvettes, freighters and an Acclamator-class assault ship appeared before him, and then a larger body emerged from the midst of the small starships.
It was the Traxan, their flagship.
The enormous battlecruiser proved to be heavier and more powerful than the rest of the fleet combined. The capital ship's long circular body was an alien, yet very clever design, with dozens of guns, torpedo bays and hangars on each side, and fitted with an extremely powerful main cannon on the front of the ship.
The Traxan was a force to be reckoned with, and while he had hundreds of these ships in the Unknown Regions, he only took the Traxan with him. It was strong enough to get them out of a risky situation, yet its absence was neglectable from home.
"We should hail them," Selene broke the silence.
"They knew we are here, I can feel it," he shook his head.
They remained silent for a few seconds, Selene stayed at his side and glanced at him.
"What did you tell Mara?" she asked as they approached the Traxan's enormous, grey hull.
"The usual," he answered. "I'm alone and I need help to stop an opposing empire."
"Why didn't you tell the truth? Maybe if they realized that you have your own nation and you are already fighting with the invaders with everything you got, they would be willing to cooperate."
"They would trust me even less," he answered, steering the ship toward the wide, blue force field protecting the hangar bay.
"You could send a fleet to Coruscant, and help the Republic beat the Empire," she suggested.
"I would represent an unknown force. Everyone is afraid of the unknown. They would be more likely to unite against us than fighting alongside us against the true enemy," he answered. Everything would change when the invasion arrives, but the enemy wouldn't dare to do unleash its wrath upon the galaxy when his forces were still fighting them. His own war against the invaders gave time to the galaxy, but it also meant that his forces will be nonexistent when the real invasion begins.
He put down the ship in the Traxan's rightmost hangar bay. It was filled with fighters and assault corvettes, all made by his nation, the proud Protectorate of Tria. The crew made a lot of space for their leader, and the welcoming brigade was already out there, consisting entirely of humans native to the Unknown Regions.
A dozen soldiers stood in line in grey uniforms, three knights of The Order stepped before them. As most Force-sensitives in the Protectorate, they wore golden robes made of fabric, and they were trained solely to fight and to obey. Jaris recognized Seia among the knights, being the High Priestess of The Order, there was no way she let him alone for long.
"Let's get back to it," Jaris sighed. The more time he spent as a leader, the more he grow to hate the thing. "You coming?" he turned to Selene.
"Of course," she nodded.
By the time they walked out the docking ramp, the Traxan's crew was ready to greet them. The soldiers and the knights knelt before him as one, even Seia stepped forward, and bent the knee before him. It felt good. He didn't want to be here, he didn't want to have anything to do with it, but he had to admit, it had its moments.
"You can stand," Jaris told them. The entirety of the hangar bay stood up within an instant. Seia looked him in the eye, showing her defiance within her gaze. He should have known their encounter won't go as easy as it seemed to go.
"The fleet is ready to go back, my grace," the priestess urged him. Her voice was calm, but her face was as demanding as ever.
"The fleet is going to Coruscant. I will meet an old benefactor," he answered, and began to march toward the bridge. Seia followed him immediately.
"What benefactor?" she asked.
Jaris shook his head.
It was so much simpler back then, when he accepted his position. The opulent planet of Tria needed a Prophet to guide them, and he needed to find his daughter who was lost in the Unknown Regions. He promised would guide the people of Tria toward peace and equality, and in return, he could use their vast resources to find her.
By the time he found Mira Wess, it was too late for him to leave. The true evil has awaken, and the largest war started that the Unknown Regions has ever seen. The people of the Protectorate were scared, they needed him more than ever. He was afraid to go away, he couldn't let fate decide the outcome of the war, thus it was too late to leave everything behind.
"What benefactor?" Seia repeated the question as they marched towards the bridge.
Jaris glanced at her in the narrow, well-guarded corridor.
"Admiral Ackbar. You don't know him, but I do more than most," he answered.
"No, I don't know him. But I know my people. We need to get back to them, and we need to do it right now," she told him.
"Don't worry, I left them in good hands."
"In good hands?" Seia snapped.
"Mira is the daughter of the High Prophet, she can take care of herself and our forces," he answered.
"Fenn," Selene interrupted them. "She is troubled these days."
"She's been through a lot, but she is strong and capable. She will make good work with the enemy while I'm gathering reinforcements."
"High Prophet, by all means, your daughter is neither strong, nor capable, nor a competent military leader," Seia shook her head.
Jaris took a deep breath, trying to let the insult go.
"Then you better hope our next run is successful," he glared at the Knight with fire in his eyes.
"Yes, my prophet," Seia nodded, quickly looking down, before she would step through the line.
They could criticize him or her all they wanted, it didn't matter. He had control of their forces in here, while Mira was waging the war as the Supreme Leader of the Protectorate Armada, making sure that the enemy will be at its weakest by the time they get back.
When he reached the bridge, the guards let him in at once. The Traxan's wide, but short command center was part of a well-built fortress at the heart of the battlecruiser. No ship, no laser nor torpedo could reach them in here, which was a good thing in terms of safety. However, in terms of battle awareness, it posed a challenge.
The place had no windows in front of those who worked all day long at their terminals. They didn't need them, but as their commander, Jaris needed to see in the battlefield. For this purpose, the ship transmitted all collected data to the bridge, and projected it on the wall. Problem is, the ship's sensors were useless in this corner of the galaxy, and thus all he could see was the camera footage of the nebula and the mere shadows of the ships surrounding him.
"We are leaving the nebula. Set a course to Coruscant! When we reach the outskirts of the system, I will go off with the Reaver," he ordered.
He used the Force to search for other ships, so he could make sure they didn't hit anything on their way. The other ships had Knights to do job, which gave of them a good chance of leaving the nebula in one piece.
The blue nebula slowly faded into the blackness of space. Jaris looked at Selene, the twi'lek was looking at him, and then she turned away. He hurt her, he always did, when they talked about his ventures. In the old days, it seemed they would get along well – as partners in arms, who were against the Empire and all who helped them. But now it all fell apart.
He felt something. Looking at the projection on the wall, he saw a Star Destroyer jumping out of hyperspace in front of his fleet. Another one jumped in, then another, then a dozen more. By this time, the Traxan's sensors were fully operational, indicating fifteen Star Destroyers approaching them and an endless wave of TIE fighters leaving their hangar bays.
"Alien fleet on intercept course! They are preparing to fire!" Seia turned towards him.
He didn't answer.
"Fenn!" Selene raised her voice. "What do we do?"
He hurt them, and they doubted and questioned him in return. But now everything was clear once more. They were in danger, and he was their commander. He looked at the hostile fleet, seeing all the Star Destroyers and the hundreds of fighters gliding towards them. And in that moment, he knew precisely what to do.
Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
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