Shedu Maad
Thrace glanced at the small chrono beside his bed. It was one seventeen in the morning, and he still hadn't gotten to sleep. He kept hoping what had happened to Tenel Ka had all been some horrible nightmare. He frowned, and reached out to Allana. His best friend's emotional agony was real, almost to the point of being a corporeal thing. Thrace, himself, felt as though he'd been run through by a lightsaber. He sighed, upon realizing that Allana was trying to hide her pain. That wasn't healthy.
Thrace broadcast his sense of concern to her Allana. She reached back to him, almost physically pulling him. Thrace pushed the covers down, and climbed out of bed. A moment later he was pushing open the door to Allana's quarters, where he was greeted by the soft mewing of a nexu. "Hi, Anji," Thrace said, briefly petting the large feline.
Thrace sat down on Allana's bed, and gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "Hey, Button," he said, softly. The young woman gently grabbed his hand. "You want me to stay?" She squeezed his hand in response.
Thrace slipped under the blanket, facing Allana. "I can't believe she's gone," she squeaked.
"I can't vaping believe it either," Thrace agreed, gently pulling Allana closer to him. He started rubbing her back, when he realized she was crying. The young Chiss man was glad to have his best friend back, but... did it have to be under such awful circumstances?
Allana sat with Thrace on one of several couches in the Jedi Academy, later that morning, drinking tea. "I should be at some ball I didn't want to go to, dancing with some annoying dork named Julius," Allana said. "He's like a character from Castle Creep."
Thrace made a sour face. "Oh, Void. Don't remind me of that bloody show."
Allana almost laughed, before her expression became more serious. "If I was at that stupid ball, my mom..."
"I'm so sorry," Thrace said. He leaned over and kissed Allana near the forehead. That ragged wound in her soul had numbed slightly over the past few hours, but it was still there. As it would be for the rest of her life. Thrace had lost his mother, too. But not as horribly as she had.
"I made the mistake of turning on the news shortly before you joined me on the couch," Allana said, snuggling up against Thrace.
"You daft girl," Thrace said softly. "Why'd you do that?'
"Because I'm a 'daft girl', I guess. Those drochs are fighting over the throne already."
"You mean they actually stopped for a time?" Thrace asked.
Allana actually laughed. "What I meant is that they're fighting out in the open, rather than just in the shadows."
"When you turn the lights off, the cockroaches come out of hiding."
"Don't insult cockroaches," Allana said.
"Sorry."
Allana found Anji looking up at her in concern. The large four-eyed feline was curled up on the floor, in front of the couch. Allana smiled and patted her fur baby's head. She looked over at Thrace and sighed. "My great grandmother taught them well."
"The one that tried to have you killed."
"There was never really any definitive proof of that, and that is a fact," Allana replied. "But you're probably right."
"I'm always right," Thrace said with that crooked grin he'd learned from Han Solo.
Allana playfully punched her blue skinned, red eyed, friend in the shoulder.
"Oy," Thrace complained. "You'll make me spill my tea." He was silent a few seconds. "What was your great grandmother's name, again?"
Allana hesitated, feeling a sense of amusement from her friend. "Ta'a Chume," she said slowly.
"Gesunteight," Thrace said.
"Shut up," Allana said, shaking her head at her friend's lame joke. But she really did appreciate what Thrace was trying to do, trying to get her mind off her mother's murder, even if it wasn't working that well.
"You had three other great grandmothers, you know," Thrace said. "I'm sure they would have absolutely loved you." Allana smiled and then batted his hand away when he tried to touch her nose. And Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker just had to choose that instant to walk into the room.
"You dork," the red headed young woman whispered. "You're embarrassing me."
"Not my fault you have such a cute nose," Thrace said in mock defensiveness.
"Hi, Uncle Luke," Allana said, twisting around slightly.
"Good morning," Luke told her and Thrace.
"You don't seem convinced," the adolescent Chiss Jedi commented.
"I just finished talking with Chief of State Turk Brand. He wants three of our squadrons to join the Fifth Fleet at Coruscant. He didn't say why."
Allana shook her head. "I hate when they don't tell us why. It must be sensitive." Assuming the call came all the way from Coruscant, which was one heck of a distance, there'd be ample opportunity for the message to be intercepted.
Luke sat on the edge of the couch and gently squeezed his grandniece's shoulder. "I'd like to bring you two along."
"Sounds like fun," Thrace said.
Allana looked up at Luke. "You're worried the Sith might know I'm here, aren't you?"
"It is a possibility," Luke allowed. "And if they do they can probably figure out you've gone to Coruscant. It would be safer for the Academy if the Sith looked for you there."
Coruscant
Jaina Solo Fel looked through her X-wing's canopy at the magnificent dagger shaped vessel floating several kilometers from the world of Coruscant, the capital of the Galactic Alliance. She had not seen such a massive ship in over a decade. According to an article her husband, Jag, had read, the Super Star Destroyer had proven impractical, due to its great size and cost, and would eventually be phased out. He had described the ship as 'a gigantic bantha's eye just waiting for someone to blast it to the Void'.
And yet, here hung the modern day equivalent of the Super Star Destroyer, the Vanquisher-class Star Destroyer. The enormous ship was quite similar to its predecessor, but was not without its differences. It was noticeably wider, allowing the vessel greater forward firing capabilities. The rear corners of the triangular body were swept back, like the head of a baby hammerhead, though more pronounced. Engines at these corners enabled the ship to turn about more quickly. A smaller triangular section formed a sort of 'tail'.
"Mara Padme would love this," Jag commed from his Clawcraft, referring to their eight year old daughter.
"Yeah," Jaina responded. "And she'd get a kick out of the name." The first of its kind, the ship was named the Vanquisher.
Jaina felt a few dozen other ships drop out of hyperspace a split second before her astromech, Sapphire, chirped to alert her to them. There were thirty two X-wings, Thrace's X-ceptor, and the Millennium Falcon. Along with Jaina and her husband, that was half a fighter wing. The Alliance had to be on edge about... whatever was going on.
Jaina sensed her niece Allana among the pilots, and felt a pang of sadness. Jaina wished she could have been there to hold Allana after Tenel Ka had been murdered, but she and Jag had been away on business with Moff Vitor Reige, the current Imperial Head of State. Reige had cut their meeting short to allow the two to come to the Galactic Alliance's aid.
This also meant that Jaina would be able to spend more time with Allana, who was like a younger sister to her. For some reason, perhaps Murdoch's Law, the Jedi Master was almost always busy with something else when her niece came to Shedu Maad to visit. And perhaps Jaina would be able to get some training in with Allana. Jaina shook her head. Of course she was grateful for all this, but why did it have to happen like this, with tragedy?
It was hard to believe that Jaina's own cousin Ben Skywalker had once been in love with the person responsible for this. The Jedi Master silently rebuked herself for the thought. She'd loved her twin brother Jacen even after he'd murdered her aunt Mara, and gone on to become that monster Darth Caedus.
A Bothan man extended his hand in greeting to Leia, Luke, and Han. "Welcome aboard the Vanquisher."
"Admiral Bwua'tu," Leia Organa Solo said, shaking the man's hand. Her brother and husband greeted the Admiral before they took their seats.
Admiral Nek Bwua'tu had become an ally of the Jedi almost two decades ago during the Dark Nest crisis. He'd been instrumental in ending the conflict between the Chiss and the semi-sentient insectoid Killiks during the battle of Tenupe. And just over ten years ago Bwua'tu had helped the Jedi take Coruscant back from the Sith. The admiral was a brilliant tactician. Not only able to determine what his enemy was thinking, but also what they believed he was thinking.
Shortly after everyone was seated a hologram of a rather frail looking male human appeared in one of the empty chairs. Leia recognized him instantly and suppressed a frown. Dif Scaur. He'd been the Director of Intelligence a few decades back, during the days of the New Republic. Scaur had been heavily involved in the Yuuzhan Vong War and, toward the end of the conflict with the extragalactic invaders, had pushed for the use of a genocidal poison called Alpha Red, designed to kill anything with Yuuzhan Vong DNA. Fortunately, the Yuuzhan Vong War had been ended with the poison only used on a very tiny scale.
Dif Scaur had resigned shortly thereafter due, in large part, to pressure from the late Chief of State Cal Omas. And just how it was that Scaur had recently been made Director of Galactic Alliance Intelligence Leia could scarcely fathom. Ben had humorously suggested that it was the dark side at work. That, of course, was absurd. But she still had a bad feeling...
A holographic representation of the galaxy materialized above the table. The image zoomed in on the Yavin system. Luke Skywalker had told her how he'd felt during that attack on the first Death Star which had been led from the moon Yavin IV. The fate of the galaxy had hinged on whether or not her brother could get those two proton torpedoes into that exhaust shaft. Leia had that same feeling about whatever was going on now. One decision would either save or condemn the entire galaxy.
"About three months ago droid ships, such as those in use during the Clone Wars, began disappearing in and around the Corporate Sector," said the Director of Intelligence. Many of those ships had been converted into apartment complexes. "A few days ago we received a report from the Yavin system of another such disappearance." The hologram representing the galaxy was replaced by a vessel resembling a large, whitish ring with a gap at the front. In the center, connected to the ring, was a massive sphere where the 'brain' of the ship was located, with a couple communications towers. And at the end, of course were the engines, near which were more, similar towers. A Lukrehulk-class droid control ship.
"The ship had had a tracking device placed aboard, for such a scenario, several weeks ago. This particular ship turned up, over a day later, deep within the Tingle Arm."
Another hologram appeared in place of the Lukrehulk. An older human man with receding, gray hair. Imperial Moff Drikl Lecersen. "There is strong evidence," Dif Scaur continued, "that Moff Lecersen has been operating in this area. As an Imperial radical, he receives no support from Imperial Head of State Moff Vitor Reige and thus would have quite a difficult time acquiring more Star Destroyers. We believe Lecersen may have a base in the Corporate Sector or perhaps even the nearby Tingle Arm."
"Thank you, Director Scaur." Admiral Bwua'tu turned to address the others gathered at the table. "The plan is for a fleet led by the Vanquisher to exit hyperspace near this area. We then hope to send a team of Jedi in StealthX's, which we have provided, to scope out the area. And if in fact Director Scaur's intel proves actionable then we will launch an attack." Dif Scaur frowned at the phrase 'proves actionable'.
"It is very possible that Lecersen expects an attack and if that's the case then he intends to turn this into an ambush," Bwua'tu continued. "But it is unlikely that he knows about the Vanquisher. I only learned of the vessel upon my arrival in system."
That last bit concerned Leia some. As the Director of Galactic Alliance Intelligence, Dif Scaur would have many connections. So he would certainly have known about the Vanquisher. Why hadn't he informed Admiral Bwua'tu? How long had Scaur kept this information from him? Yes, Leia understood the need for secrecy. But to keep this from one of the Alliance's most brilliant tacticians?
It was clear that Dif Scaur did not trust the admiral. Whether that was simply because Admiral Bwua'tu did not trust him or if it was something else Leia did not know. But she had a bad feeling about the man. What else was the man, who'd supported genocide against the Yuuzhan Vong, hiding?
"The Vanquisher and a few other vessels will wait outside the region," Admiral Bwua'tu continued, "and if Lecersen does launch an ambush, as I expect, then our reserve vessels will be employed in a counter ambush."
He looked over at Luke Skywalker. "It is possible that we will not find anything, and that this is a ploy to get our ships outside of Alliance territory. It is for this reason that we have a fleet on standby, of which the majority of the Jedi will be a part."
Luke nodded. "It's a very sound plan. But I don't think we're dealing with Imperial terrorism. At least not solely."
"Sith?" asked Dif Scaur, his tone slightly mocking.
"A Sith did recently murder the Queen Mother Tenel Ka. There's whole world of them out there that my order still has not been able to locate. Now that I think of it, it's possible that Lecersen is working with them."
Along with Trade Federation and Separatist vessels, the enemy fleet also included eleven modern day Star Destroyers. Leia had reached out to the enemy fleet in the Force, and felt not one living presence. The enemy fleet appeared to be crewed entirely by droids.
Already the battle was turning out disastrously. As Leia brought the Millennium Falcon around for another strafing run on a Separatist vessel, she glimpsed an Alliance Star Destroyer detonating under a merciless barrage from a massive ring-like Lukrehulk. Despite how much larger the droid control ship was the old vessel shouldn't have been able to take down a modern day Star Destroyer.
Though the Galactic Alliance fleet was outside of Coruscant's gravity well, the vessels could not enter hyperspace as one of the captured Star Destroyers had gravity well projectors. Unless those devices were disabled the fleet was doomed.
With this in mind a group of Corellian Corvettes, available Jedi pilots, and the Falcon had left the main part of the fleet-the Galactic Alliance Star Destroyers were otherwise occupied, and thus had been unable to join the effort. The goal, as horrible as it sounded, was for one of the Corvettes to ram the target Star Destroyer, which of course was the most heavily guarded ship in the enemy flotilla. One by one the Corvettes were either destroyed or disabled, until there was only one left. And that one soon broke in two as its middle sustained more damage than it could handle.
From the Falcon's dorsal laser turret Leia fired off another quad burst at the Vulture droid she'd been tracking. While the enemy fighter did not detonate, it did catch fire. Of course Leia doubted it would matter. But still, she would fight with everything she had.
And then that flaming Vulture droid deliberately crashed headlong into a nearby X-wing. Time seemed to stop for Leia as she felt her granddaughter's Force presence suddenly vanish from existence. Allana Solo had just been killed!
If Admiral Bwua'tu's fleet hadn't left for the Tingle Arm the day before, then none of this would've been happening. By the time that fleet returned everyone here would be dead. Fortunately, Luke and his son Ben had gone with the admiral. But they would be all that remained of the Skywalker line.
Leia woke up to the sound of herself sobbing. She felt her heart hammering in her chest, like an overtaxed hyperdrive motivator. "Leia, what's wrong?" her husband, Han, asked.
"They killed Allana," she mumbled. "In my…"
"Dream?" Han asked hopefully. Leia felt him relax as she nodded her head.
"We can't let Bwua'tu's fleet go to the Tingle Arm."
"It's a ruse then," Han reasoned.
"Yes. We need to tell Luke."
"Tumbler Tuggers?" Thrace repeated to his mentor, a man in his forties with short, slightly messy blond hair, named Seff Hellin.
"It's a great show," Seff said somewhat defensively, as he and his unofficial apprentice made their way to the mess hall.
"Oy! Look at that rock, it's so heavy and pretty," Thrace mocked.
"Oh, shut up, Thracey," Seff said. He suddenly mussed his unofficial apprentice's hair as one would with a younger brother.
"Oy!" Thrace exclaimed. "Stop that. And don't call me that."
"Then don't dis my show, you dork."
"Perhaps I'll give the show..." Thrace trailed off upon hearing and feeling an argument from around the corner.
"It's not polite to…" Seff started.
"You can't do this, admiral. We need to hit this terrorist group at its heart, now," said Dif Scaur's voice.
"I trust the judgment of these Jedi; they can see things that others, such as yourself, cannot. And even if I did decide to launch, the Jedi are no longer on board with this plan."
"This is treason. You know the penalty."
"I am a Galactic Alliance admiral doing what I believe is in the best interest of the Alliance. That is far from treason."
An angry Dif Scaur came stalking down the corridor, muttering under his breath. He glared at the two Jedi as he passed them. "You people are going to ruin everything."
Thrace briefly considered making a comment about how the Jedi had ruined the Empire, but decided not to further antagonize the man. He waited until the Director of Intelligence was out of earshot, and then turned to Seff. "There is a troll in the castle, my lord," Thrace said, in a terrible impression of a female voice, quoting a line from the children's show Castle Creep.
"He was an admiral once," Seff commented.
"Dif Scaur with a Super Star Destroyer," Thrace commented. "Now I'm going to have nightmares."