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Three
(The Rising Tide)

"I will never get used to this," Han said, staring up at the huge white arrowhead shape of the Azure Flame above him through the Falcon's cockpit viewports.

In the copilot's seat next to him, Chewbacca rumbled his agreement. This was one of only a handful of times their starship had been taken aboard an Imperial vessel willingly.

"I think it's exciting," Han's niece said from her seat behind Chewie. "I've always thought Star Destroyers were shiny."

"Shiny?" Han said amusedly, swiveling his chair so that he could look back at Ami. "That's only 'cause you've never had to go up against one, darlin'. Running from three or four, all of 'em shooting at you with everything they've got, ain't so 'shiny'."

Ami gave him a look that was pure Mara Jade. "You haven't had to outrun a Star Destroyer since the war, Uncle Han, much less three or four."

Chewbacca chuffed with laughter as he got up, and affectionately ruffled Ami's hair as he walked past her, headed to the main hold.

Han smiled himself, knowing he had no real answer for that, and gave her a pat on the shoulder as he, too, headed back to the main hold. Ami remained behind to watch their arrival.

Leia, Luke and Jacen were all sitting on the curved couch behind the dejarik table, discussing something on the datapad sitting on the table in front of them. Malysa and Tionne sat in the chairs next to the computer console, both meditating.

Tahiri sat cross-legged on the floor next to Tionne, a control unit in her hands. From her look of concentration, Han assumed she was the one controlling the two remotes hovering in tandem in front of Anakin and Ben, who were as usual practicing with their lightsabers.

"All right, that's enough," Han called to his son and nephew. "We'll be touching down in just a minute, so get ready."

Anakin quickly whirled his lightsaber through a looping pattern, catching the last few bolts fired by the remotes on his blade, even impudently grinning at Ben as he leaned out to catch one his cousin had been about to intercept. With a last flourish of his blade, he closed it down and clipped his lightsaber to his belt.

Ben shook his head in mock disapproval. "Such a show-off," he said, closing down his own lightsaber.

Anakin replied with a shrug and a grin as he pulled on his outer robe.

Han felt the deck shift gently as the Falcon's landing gear touched down on the deck of the Star Destroyer's docking bay, and he tugged at the lapels of his black jacket, waiting.

"Fasten your collar," Leia murmured as she stepped over to stand next to him, adjusting the sleeves of her long white outer robe.

Han made a face, but complied. "How about I just go change into my uniform?" he grumbled good-naturedly as his fingers worked at the collar of his off-white shirt. "We can polish up my medals and everything."

Leia smiled. "We'll save that for the formal dinner with the captain."

"Yeah," Han scoffed. Then he realized she was serious and frowned, which only made her smile again.

Leia reached out to brush back an unruly lock of Anakin's hair, and he leaned away, grimacing. "Mom!" he complained.

"Grin and bear it, junior," Han said to him as he hit the ramp controls.

The Jedi Masters and their students were the first down the ramp into the docking bay; Luke with Jacen, Malysa with Ami, Tionne with Tahiri, and Leia with Anakin and Ben.

"Make sure you lock up behind us," Han said quietly to Chewbacca.

The big Wookiee barked a quiet agreement and went to lock the doors, but before he could hit the button, Leia turned and quietly said to Han, "That's not very diplomatic, dear."

Han frowned, but waved Chewie off and continued down the ramp. "Turn the security cameras on, though," he murmured low enough that Leia couldn't hear. Chewbacca nodded and ducked back to the main hold's computer console for a moment.

Colonel Fel himself stood a few paces in front of the ramp, flanked by a pair of red-and-black-armored Imperial Knights and two full platoons of stormtroopers. The harsh lighting and cavernous space of the somber-colored docking bay gave a grim aspect to the Imperials - though most of that was just the Imperials themselves, Han thought.

Fel straightened his shoulders beneath his impeccable black-and-red uniform, inclining his head briefly in Luke's direction. "I am honored to welcome your party aboard the Azure Flame, Master Skywalker," he said. "It is a distinct pleasure to work with you on this mission."

"Thank you, Colonel," Luke replied, taking a few steps forward.

He extended his hand, and Fel hesitated for a moment before he reached out and shook it.

"If you would like to refresh yourselves before the briefing, we have prepared the executive quarters for you," Fel said, gesturing with one hand at the docking bay doors. "I must attend to matters on the bridge, but please, follow Qeris."

He gestured to the statuesque Imperial Knight standing at one side, a young woman of olive complexion with long, intricately braided black hair and sea-green eyes, who regarded them dispassionately. She was trim and muscular beneath her red-and-black armor, her polished chrome lightsaber gleaming at her belt beneath the long dark red cloak hanging from her shoulders.

"We can see to your luggage, if you like," Qeris said. Her accent was Coruscanti mixed with some slightly lilting Inner Rim inflection Han didn't quite recognize.

"Thank you," Leia said. "It's all just at the top of the ramp."

Qeris silently ordered four waiting gray-uniformed crewmen up the ramp with a nod of her head, then turned and headed for the door. Their group followed her, mostly quiet as they moved through the stark halls toward the nearest turbolift.

When Qeris stopped next to a closed set of doors and pressed the call button, Jacen remarked to her, "You're originally from Onderon, aren't you?"

The Imperial Knight looked back at him with the barest hint of a smile. "You have a good ear," she replied. "My parents are Onderonian. They were at university on Coruscant when Emperor Fel took the throne, and they decided to stay there."

"That's what I thought," Jacen said. "Onderon is in the Republic, after all."

Qeris nodded once, but made no further reply.

They all moved into the spacious turbolift, and Han noticed that Qeris took up position beside the control panel, next to Luke.

"Are the rumors true, Master Skywalker?" she said quietly. "Is the vessel we are investigating the Executor?"

"It is," Luke replied. "We received a report from my wife and her apprentice just before you arrived; the Super Star Destroyer at Belkadan is indeed the Executor, and it is commanded by Darth Vader."

"I see," Qeris said neutrally. Her posture did not change, but Han noticed a slight tightening of her expression, though he was unclear whether this news pleased her or not.

Han wasn't himself happy that Vader was back, but he did know Fel's Empire still retained a measure of respect for its former ruler. Vader's prowess as a military commander was undeniable, and furthermore, Han also knew the Order of Imperial Knights modeled their view of the Force after Vader's, seeking to find the balance between Light and Dark. A great many of their order were former Sith, so he knew they would be eager to serve alongside their old Master again.

Qeris herself, though, looked no more than nineteen or twenty, far too young to have ever known Vader personally. Han wondered what she thought of the former Emperor.

Leia was right; Fel's Empire was indeed different from Vader's, though Han didn't like to admit it. Obviously, Fel was also concerned his former commander had returned, but whether this was because he feared he might have to give up his throne or because he wanted to join forces with Vader, Han didn't know.

The turbolift slowly drew to a halt, and Qeris stepped outside once the doors opened, her cloak flaring out behind her as she marched down the hallway. "This way, please."

Mara had to admit that she was a bit surprised Admiral Firmus Piett was still in command of the Executor after all these years. During Vader's reign, no officer had managed to command the Emperor's personal Star Destroyer for more than two or three years before termination - which was sometimes literal. Though, given Piett's quiet competence, it made sense that Vader had kept him around.

His hair had gone entirely white, but otherwise, Piett looked much the same as the last time Mara had seen him. Standing in perfect parade-rest posture next to the massive black conference table, gray uniform spotless and black boots polished to a glossy shine, the slight admiral gave a brief nod of greeting to Mara and Jaina before returning his attention to a simulated battle unfolding on the view-screen next to him.

After sending their message, Mara and Jaina had taken the Jade Sabre up to the Executor and made their way here, to the executive conference room. They were a few minutes early, so it was no surprise to Mara that only Piett and one other were here. The conference room's other occupant was a human woman in her late thirties Mara did not recognize, who radiated an unmistakable aura through the Force.

The unfamiliar Jedi was of medium height and slender build, with a fair complexion, blue eyes, and shoulder-length wavy light brown hair. She wore robes of the style usually preferred by Jedi, in varied shades of blue; her outer robe and trousers were a dark navy color, her tunic a medium shade, and her belt a light sky-blue. A lightsaber hung from her belt, well-crafted but obviously well-used.

Also of note was the way the Jedi sized Mara up in return; not only had she seen combat, but she had probably served as some sort of soldier for quite some time. Mara noted the way the Jedi's eyes went right to her weapons, quickly judging the distance between her, the door, and the distance between Mara and Jaina. All of this was so quick it may as well have been unconscious, more out of force of habit than anything else.

"This is Jedi Master Jennyrija Talmak," Piett said with a quick glance at Mara. "Master Talmak, Jedi Master Mara Jade Skywalker and her apprentice, Jaina Solo."

Jennyrija gave them both a friendly smile. "Call me Jenn for short," she said, her voice inflected with a drawling accent with which Mara was not familiar; it sounded vaguely Outer Rim.

"Master?" Jaina said curiously. "I'm afraid I don't recognize your name."

"Oh, I earned it, all right," Jenn said with a trace of wry humor. "I've been away from galactic affairs for quite a while, so it's not really a surprise you've never heard of me."

"Your Master was one of the old Order?" Mara asked, judging by her apparent age.

Again, Jenn's mouth quirked in a wry smile. "You might say that." She looked at Mara. "Skywalker? Any relation to our host?"

"I'm married to his son, Luke." Mara replied.

"Oh, family reunion, eh?" Jenn said.

"You might say that," Mara said with a slight smirk.

Jenn smirked back. "I wouldn't want him as a father-in-law, myself," she said quietly enough that Piett wouldn't overhear. "Bit of a grouchy fella."

Mara allowed an agreeing smile at that. She glanced at Jaina, but her niece seemed distracted.

"What is it?" she asked.

Jaina didn't respond at first, and Mara was about to reach over to touch her shoulder when Jaina turned to look at her. "Oh, sorry," she said. She glanced at Jenn. "I sense that the other Jedi here is very upset about something, and I was wondering what was wrong."

Jenn's smile faded. "He's, ah… not feeling well."

Mara raised her brows slightly in query. Jenn hesitated, clearly not wanting to discuss it any further.

"That's unfortunate," Mara said. She was still curious, but decided to change the subject anyway. "You met Vader in the Unknown Regions?"

"That's right," Jenn replied. "My companions and I accidentally got stuck in a booby trap on a planet we were exploring, and Lord Vader let us out." She smirked again. "We had a bit of a misunderstanding when we found out he was a Sith Lord, but once he told us what he was doing there and asked for our help - all without threatening to kill us even once - we decided to go with him." She shrugged. "He's a bit grouchy, like I said, but nowhere near as bad as any of the other Sith Lords I've met. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was a Gray Jedi instead."

Mara was about to ask Jenn what other Sith Lords besides Darth Vader she could have met when the door hissed open and Vader himself entered the room, dressed in his familiar black Imperial uniform with silver trim and black cloak. He glanced briefly over at the three of them as he quickly strode to the head of the table to stand next to Piett. "Status?" he inquired.

"The Executor is fully combat-ready, sir," Piett answered. "All fighter squadrons are standing by."

"Good," said Vader. He turned to look at the three Jedi, gesturing for them to sit. "I have called you here to explain your part in our strategy. We will be conducting a two-pronged assault on the Yuuzhan Vong advance force once they take up position on and around Belkadan."

"We will allow their fleet to enter orbit around Belkadan," Piett said, "and then, once they are in the planet's gravity well and cannot quickly jump to lightspeed, the Executor and her squadrons will engage the vessels in orbit while Lord Vader and the ground troops engage their landing forces."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just deal with the space forces and then bombard any ground bases from orbit?" Mara asked, leaning back slightly in her chair.

"Yes. But, I wish to take prisoners," Vader answered. "If possible, I wish to capture the commander of their landing forces and interrogate him."

"From what you and your troops have told me," Jenn said, frowning, "the Vong don't sound like the sort to allow themselves to be taken prisoner. You're going to expend a lot of troop strength trying to subdue their warriors, likely with massive casualties."

"Yes," Vader conceded. "That is why I am taking you three, along with a small contingent of elite stormtroopers, all of whom are veterans of previous battles with the Vong. It will be a commando mission rather than a large-scale ground assault."

"Oh, joy," Jenn deadpanned. "I haven't been on a good crawl through the mud in a while."

Mara chuckled softly, knowing the feeling exactly.

The comm buzzed, and Piett reached out to answer it. "Yes?"

"Our long-range sensor buoys have detected a number of vessels reverting to realspace on the edge of the system, Admiral," an Imperial officer reported. "Visual telemetry confirms the vessels are Yuuzhan Vong."

Vader stood immediately. "Come with me," he ordered the three Jedi. "We are starting our landing immediately. Piett," he said, turning to the admiral, "move the Executor into position behind Belkadan's moon and keep all squadrons ready to launch. We attack as soon as their troops touch down."

He turned and left, cloak sweeping out behind him, and Mara, Jaina and Jenn hurried to catch up.

"How will we know where they're going to land?" Mara asked as they jogged through the corridors. "Even one planet is a big place; we can't just wait in orbit ourselves and track their landing, because they'll pick up our dropship's engine emissions."

"They will most likely land near the research station," Vader replied. "In case they do not, we will hold position high in the atmosphere and wait to see where they land."

"Again," Mara persisted, "they'll pick up our engine emissions."

Vader slowed to a halt in front of a turbolift. "We will not be using the engines," he said as he hit the call button. He turned to meet her gaze. "We will be using the Force."

As the Imperial dropship hurtled down through Belkadan's atmosphere, Jaina sat buckled into her seat next to her aunt, pensive.

She was no stranger to battle, having helped repel the attempted invasion of Alderaan by Tamith Kai's rogue fleet, as well as other threats and crises she'd faced during the course of her Jedi training. But, she had never faced an enemy she could not feel through the Force.

The Force was so much a part of Jaina that it was hard for her to imagine life without it. Fighting an enemy the Force could not sense would be to her like fighting while blindfolded or with her arms tied behind her back.

She looked around the cramped dark gray cabin of the dropship. The elite stormtroopers sat quietly in their own chairs, some of them checking their weapons or making last-minute adjustments to their armor, but none of them showed any signs of nervousness. She took solace from this; none of these people were Jedi, and all of them had survived multiple battles with the Yuuzhan Vong.

The elite troopers' armor was different from standard; the configuration was largely the same, but the armor plates were black instead of the normal white, the shoulder pauldrons were colored a dark red and bore a black fist sigil, and their helmets had a dark red vertical stripe, reminiscent of old clone trooper armor. Upon closer inspection, the black fist on their insignia was vertically flanked by the words 'Vader's Fist', with '501st' below the wrist.

One of the troopers noticed Jaina looking at him and swiveled the black lenses of his skull-like helmet toward her. "This your first battle with the Vong?" he asked, his voice rendered flat by his helmet's voice filter.

Jaina nodded. "Yes."

He slowly nodded once, as if both agreeing and looking her up and down. "We've got your back," he said. "It's an honor to fight with a member of Lord Vader's family."

"They don't wear helmets," another soldier wearing scout trooper armor put in. He raised the long-barreled sniper rifle he was cleaning. "Go for the heads if you can. The armpits and kneecaps are other weak points in their armor."

"It's made of some kind of crab with a blaster-proof shell, right?" Jaina said. "Lord Vader left some files with my uncle when he left for the Unknown Regions, and I've studied them."

"Right," the sniper said. "They're much physically stronger than a human, too, so try to avoid hand-to-hand if you can. Their amphistaffs can squirt some kind of toxic venom, so you're going to want a rebreather with a face shield."

"Ideally, you'd want full-body armor like Lord Vader's," the first trooper said. "He built it specifically to fight the Vong. Maybe once this group is toasted, you can get the techs on the Executor to design you some."

As if summoned by the trooper's words, the door to the rear compartment opened and Darth Vader walked forward, his deep mechanical breathing echoing in the cramped space. He strode forward along the benches, occasionally making eye contact with the troopers, who gave him respectful nods in acknowledgement.

"Pilot," Vader boomed, his deep basso voice overriding all other noise in the compartment. "Full stop. Disengage engines and shut down all systems."

"Yes, Lord Vader," the pilot called back.

For just a moment - a brief, heart-stopping moment - the dropship began to fall, but it quickly settled, as if cupped gently in an enormous hand.

Now, Jaina knew, the only thing keeping the vessel in the air was her grandfather's will.

"Once we are on the ground," Vader rumbled, gloved hands clasped behind his back over his sweeping black armorweave cloak, "Apprentice Solo will assist you in disabling the Vong landing vessels, so that they cannot escape us. Masters Jade and Talmak will accompany me." He lowered his head slightly to sweep the lenses of his death's-head mask around the compartment again. "You are all authorized full deadly force; only the commander is to be taken alive." His deep voice dropped to a chillingly grim tone. "Kill the rest. No prisoners."

"What if any of the warriors surrender?" Jenn asked.

One of the elite troopers turned to look at her. "Vong don't surrender," he said. "They always fight to the death."

Jenn grimly nodded once. "I understand."

Vader turned to look at Jaina, and even though she knew he bore her no ill will, it was still an effort not to flinch at being regarded by that ominous black mask. "Apprentice Solo," he said, "I understand you are an accomplished pilot."

She nodded. "I take after my father."

Jaina sensed a slight sneer behind Vader's mask, but he said nothing. Instead, he said, "Come forward, please."

After a brief glance at Mara, who nodded fractionally, Jaina unbuckled her crash webbing and complied, following Vader into the cockpit. The pilot and copilot immediately surrendered their seats and headed into the back. Vader swept his cloak over the back of the copilot's seat and settled in, gesturing with a black-gloved hand for her to take the pilot's station. The door hissed shut as she lowered herself into the chair.

"I require your assistance," Vader said. "I will sustain the levitation of this vessel, and you will direct its flight path. Once we are below the tree line, we will need to stay there so as not to be detected by the landing vessel's sensors. It will require great precision to guide the vessel, so we must work together."

"Why don't you ask my aunt Mara?" Jaina asked. "She's a more experienced pilot, and-"

"Jade is not as strong in the Force as you are," Vader replied bluntly, continuing to watch the swiftly darkening sky through the front viewport. It would soon be full night in this area. "You are my granddaughter; your powers will be equal to my own with sufficient training."

Jaina wasn't quite sure what to say to this, so she elected to remain silent instead.

"My soldiers will protect you," Vader said after a few moments' silence.

"What?" Jaina said, slightly startled.

Vader turned to look at her, the dark curves of his helmet gleaming in the soft lights cast by the passive sensors, which were the only system still active. "You are uneasy, child," he said. "You have never faced a battle like this before. Your task is not an easy one, but you will have my soldiers with you." He paused, and she was surprised when he reached out to place his left hand on her shoulder. "You must see our enemy and fight them for yourself if you are to learn how to defeat them. Warriors of our power must by necessity fight on the front lines; we are wasted anywhere else."

Jaina shifted uncomfortably. "I…"

"You do not want to fight," her grandfather said knowingly. "You know it is your duty to protect your Republic, and you will do battle in its defense if you must, but you do not want to fight, to take the life of another."

"Yeah," Jaina said. "How did you know?"

Vader turned to look out of the viewport again. "I once thought as you do, as my old Master did. Fifty years of fighting wars have taught me differently. Passivity and caution do not win battles. To ensure victory, you must take action. You must take the fight to your enemy, hound him, never give him a moment's rest, so that he does not have time to plot strategy against you. You must wear him down so that he makes mistakes, and you must learn how to turn every mistake and false step of your enemy into a way to press your own advantage."

"That's not the Jedi way," Jaina said quietly.

"This is not a foe like any the Jedi have fought before," Vader countered. "The Yuuzhan Vong understand only pain and force. They cannot be bargained with, reasoned with, or influenced through the Force. Their heathen gods demand our blood, and they are determined to give it to them. Left unchecked, the Vong will sweep like a plague over this galaxy, and they will kill or enslave every living being in it."

He gestured to her with an open hand. "Beings like you, beings like us," he clenched his fist so tight his glove creaked, "are the only thing standing between these barbarians and civilization." Vader lowered his hand and turned to face forward again. "Once you fight them yourself, you will understand."

Again, Jaina was unsure of exactly how to answer, so she turned her attention to the passive sensors and waited to begin the landing.

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Author's Note: Maybe it's just me, but I get a big kick out of writing conversations between Darth Vader and his grandchildren. Bonus points if you recognize what 'shiny' is from.

Also, a note on accents: Jenn's accent is vaguely Australian-sounding, but I wasn't sure exactly how to convey that in Star Wars terms. Qeris' accent is similar to Queen Talia's from 'KotOR II', sort of an Indian accent mixed with upper-class English. I realize that's probably not important to most of you, but I felt the need to explain it anyway. ;) Till next time!