Dark Order: The New Empire
Chapter 6: Arrival on Vjun
"Coming up on Vjun" Lekuaf said to himself as the ship dropped. Hitting a button, he turned on the shipboard com. "Skywalker, were about to land, might want to come up here" he said as the Vjun Fortress hailed him. Skywalker had taken to the cargo hold to get some sleep, and probably to think about everything that had happened in the last few days.
As the airtight door between the hold and the cockpit slid open silently, a blond haired young man stepped inside, looking tired and groggy as Lekauf accepted the hail.
"Unknown flight, this is Vjun Tower Control, state your course, identification and clearance code or you will be fired upon" the com barked out at the lieutenant, who sat calmly behind the console.
"Vjun Tower Control, this is V-2, we are making a direct course for landing pad Charlie" Lekauf said as he sent in his clearance code to the tower while Skywalker sat down in the unoccupied co-pilot seat.
"Very well V-2" the tower control operator said. "What is your cargo and crew?" the operator asked and Lekauf knew he was asking if Vader was aboard.
"I am carrying special cargo from high deliverer" Lekauf said, using the, rather outdated, code words as he directed the shuttle for the fortress's location. "Myself and the package are the only ones aboard" Lekauf explained as he powered the shields to full as they hit atmosphere.
"Very well V-2, you are clear for Charlie. Have a fun ride, escort is on the way" the operator said.
Lekauf relaxed as the shuttle broke atmosphere and heard his passenger gasp in surprise. "I know" he said with a slightly amused chuckle. "I thought the same my first time here" he stated.
Before the shuttle, there was a massive, sprawling green forest of ancient, kilometer tall trees that rose over the hills below and around the near endless sea of green. To their immediate left was a large, metallic city with massive towers, their thousands of glass windows gleaming in the bright sunlight as dozens of birds flew over the woods, passing the shuttle's viewpoint as Luke caught sight of two Tie fighters fly past them, spin around and then right themselves next to either side of the shuttle. Before Luke could even fully grasp all of the features of the planet, they shot over the edge of a cliff. The edge of the cliff had large rivers emptying over the edge in giant cascading waterfalls of crystal blue water that crashed, kilometers upon kilometers, below into the bright ocean below, where several large creatures of some sort were shooting out of the water and into the air before crashing into the ocean once more.
There were clumps of rocks all along the side of a massive coast on the left of the shuttle, where Luke guessed a trail or some road led up to the city as there were large numbers of people moving up and down the pearly white beach as well as what appeared to be children swimming in the tall, soft waves.
Amazed, Luke turned to see they were approaching another marvel.
Dozens of large stone pillars stood magnificently over the thunderous crash of the mighty waves. The pillars all surrounded a larger, so large that it almost dwarfed the others, pillar that, on the top showed a huge compound set on a large grassy patch of ground that seemed to have been placed on the pillar, rather then actually being a part of the pillar itself.
The compound itself was a massive, almost mound looking building with bristling gun turrets, massive windows and sleek hangar bays all along the sides. In the rear of the fortress, there was a large tower with more defenses and windows as well as a few private hangars at the very top point of the large tower. There were dozens of parade grounds and smaller drill yards set up before, beside and behind the large fortress. Luke also saw defensive emplacements and what appeared to be windows to a interconnected tunnel system as well as landing pads all around the large pillar that held the entire fortress and it's large patch of ground.
Obviously, this was their destination and Luke's new home.
"You'll get used to it" Lekauf said to Luke as he guided the shuttle towards one of the smaller landing pads on the side of the large pillar, both of the Tie fighters that were escorting them broke off at this point. He cut the main engines and used only the small maneuvering thrusters to guide it onto the landing pad that already had a shuttle crew awaiting the vessel so they could refuel and rearm the behemoth for it's next duty, or for a short trip to the main hangar bays where it would be stored and maintained until needed.
The shuttle finally landed and Luke and Lekauf gathered what belongings they had and then waited until the ramp had lowered before walking down the metal slate onto the metal landing pad with tons of solid rock directly beneath it.
"Sirs" a mechanical voice said and Luke watched as a man, wearing an Imperial captain's rank walked forward, with a pair of droids on either side of him. One was checked in black and red, while the other was solid steel colored and showed signs of battle scars and dents while the other droid, the checkered one had not a single dent or smudge of dirt on it's metal plating. Both droids had some symbol plastered on their shoulder and chest plates. The checkered droid, the one who had addressed both Luke and Lekauf, spoke up. "Both of your suites have been prepared and all other preparations have been made in advance sir" the droid said, looking at Lekauf.
The lieutenant nodded and saluted the captain, who saluted back. "This" Lekauf said. "Is Solis" he said, indicating the beaten up looking droid. "He is head of Fortress security" Lekauf explained. "And this" he pointed his finger at the other droid. "Is Fidelis, the head chef here" Lekauf finished.
"And i" the captain said. "Am Captain Berruk, head of the fourteenth Royal Guard Company of the 501st" the man said. "I am also the senior executive officer planet side until Commander Jork returns and will be in charge of training you while you are with us" Captain Berruk said. The man had a darkish tan, as well as a dark brown beard and muscular form, at his side was a pistol and, now that he was looking for it, Luke could see a small pin that had 501st plated on it.
"Sirs" Fidelis spoke up. "If you do not mind, your lunch is prepared in the main dining room, shall I heat it up? Or would you prefer I save it for dinner? I do not know the last time you ate any-"
"Yes" Lekauf said quickly, knowing the droid could go on for hours. "We would love for you to heat up the meal, have it ready by the time I have shown master Skywalker his rooms" Lekauf ordered. "Captain" he saluted and walked off, Luke tailing behind him as the Captain bowed to Luke.
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"Wow" Luke said as he looked at his new massive quarters. The walls were a dark wood and the floors were also a matching dark wood with thick red carpets lined with golden Imperial emblems in the corners and the center. The room had a large bed made of the same dark wood that had a thick mattress that was covered in red silk and satin sheets, with blood red pillows lining the back.
There was also a large desk with a holo net computer set up on it's wooden surface. Across from the desk was a massive bookshelf with old looking books and documents. In the corner of the room across from his bed, there was a projector that could act as a transmitter so Luke could contact someone if he needed to, as well as a galactic map.
On the left wall, between the bed and the desk, there was a well made arc that led into a long walk in closet that held black outfits, mostly tunics, pants, robes and other items like leather belts, hoods and gloves that Luke had come to see as the uniforms that Sith wore when they were undergoing the training that would make them full Sith.
Beside that door, a bit more closer to the desk, there was another door that led into a fresher with crystal handles and knobs on the inside of the unit. Back in his room, there were banners and maps on the walls that showed the Empire and it's glory. However, despite the large amount of wealth and quantity of things Luke had barely ever thought of dreaming about, he was still drawn to the large glass window at the far wall, opposite of the door that led out of the room. The window was really a large sliding glass door that led out onto a small wooden balcony which had a equally small table set on it's wooden surface.
"It is impressive, is it not?" Lekauf asked as Luke nodded excitedly, all his worries and fears leaving his mind for the moment at the prospect of getting to sleep in this expensive room.
Experimenting with the galactic map would most likely be the first thing he would do once he had a chance to-
"Well, take a quick shower, dress in a fresh set of cloths and we'll head down for dinner as soon as your done" Lekauf told Luke before turning around and exiting the room, shutting the wooden door silently as he went.
Luke took in a breath, then gathered a fresh set of clothing, surprised that it fit him so well, but then again, Vader had measurements made for him after he had first had trouble fitting into the rather large robes and tunic.
He then placed the articles of clothing on the counter in the fresher before stripping down and stepping inside the fresher. Once inside, he sealed the door and turned the white crystal knob, causing ice cold water to spill forth from the nozzle. Luke sighed in joy as he relaxed instantly. Being a native of Tatooine, he wasn't used to anything but hot air and the quick hot baths that he got, which lasted only long enough to clean the majority of the loose dirt off him. And he only got one once every two months. So obviously, this was heaven to him.
Luke simply stayed under the shower for a decent time, not washing or cleaning himself up, just enjoying the cold water. After a while, he finally finished his shower and got dressed before exiting his room. Now how was he supposed to let Lekauf know he was done? I guess I'll just have to explore until I find him, Luke thought as he started walking down a well decorated hallway, which had rich golden, red and black tapestries hanging from the roofs, exotic paintings and sculptures hung from the walls and stood against them, respectively.
After a few minutes, he came to a wooden set of doors that Luke knew had a large turbo lift behind it, which would lead down to the rest of the compound, as the entire floor was the top most level of the tower on the rear of the compound. As there had been before, he saw two men in uniforms, that consisted of slick black boots polished to a shine, with a black tunic, with blue stripes on the shoulders, over black trousers, with the same blue stripes going from the hip to the ankle, and long black gloves, standing on either side of the doors, pistols in holsters on their sides and rifles set against their right shoulders. Both had on caps and looked straight ahead.
"Excuse me" Luke asked as he stopped before them. "Would you know where Lieutenant Lekauf is?" he asked, struggling for a second on remembering the name that had just recently been placed inside his head.
"Yes Sir" the man on the right said, only his mouth moving, the rest was ram rod straight and unflinching. "He is in his quarters. Down the hall to the left, third door on the right" he said and Luke thanked him before following his directions to where the Lieutenant's room was supposed to be.
It took him a few minutes to find the door, but he finally did and it opened to find the Lieutenant looking a bit tired, and most likely as hungry as Luke was, but still crisp and alert. "Ah" he said calmly when he saw Luke. "I see your ready to eat, shall we?" he asked and the two men headed back down the hall and came before the double wooden doors, where Luke saw both men in uniform snap crisp salutes at the Lieutenant, who returned them in kind before the guard to the left hit a button, causing the wooden doors to slide to the sides, revealing a metal door. The door then slid into three parts, one down, one to the left and one to the right, revealing the lift door, which slid up.
Luke and Lekauf stepped inside and watched as the triple row of doors sealed, then felt the lift descend hundreds of floors and then stop softly. A second later and the lift door opened, this time revealing a three way steel corridor. On either side of the lift door were two guards, both in the same colored uniform. In the corridors before them, men wearing the same uniform, with some variations of rank and accessories and different caps, walked among the fortress staff and servants, as well as various droids of varying sizes, who were scurrying around the feet of their human overlords to deliver data or messages to someone on the other end of the compound.
Lekauf walked out into the hallway with Luke and took the left corridor, following it as men saluted him and got out of both his and Luke's way. Soon they came to a large double door, also made of metal. The door slid open to reveal a dining room, which had a group of servants setting a table made of the same dark wood, which Luke had seen none of since descending to this floor of the compound, with both his and Lekauf's meals.
The two men sat at the table, sitting in the middle, across from one another. The meal started with some sort of stew, which Lekauf explained to him was called Shang Stew. Luke found that it was very good and made a mental note to ask for this again. Almost immediately into the dinner or late lunch, Lekauf spoke up. "Lord Vader has appointed me to, along with my normal duties, to teach you proper etiquette" he said. "To start off with" he began. "You do not eat so quickly during a meal, nor do you lower your head or wolf any food down" Lekauf instructed, recalling his lessons from his academy days. "You eat slowly and gracefully, like this" he showed Luke by taking deliberately slow eating motions. "Also, you should cut and eat your food like this" again he demonstrated, and saw that Skywalker was not, in any way, insulted and seemed to be doing his very best to take it all in and mimic it. He had to give him some credit. For a man who had never really lived in royalty, he picked things up relatively well, though he was still making key mistakes.
Lekauf continued to instruct him through most of the dinner. By the time desert came, they had finished an entire Karkana Fillet, as well as a plate of Scrimpi, which was a very spicy, meaty dish before they were treated to a dish of Crêpes Malreaux with a side dish of Acid-Beet, which was Fidelis' specialty. After that entire meal, which to both Luke and Lekauf was a colossal amount of food, they sat and gingerly ate at the Stenness Pie.
As they finally hit a break in the instructions of how to eat, Luke finally asked what had been tugging at his mind for awhile. "Lekauf?" he asked. "Why is Vjun...so perfect" he asked. "I had always heard it was a horribly ruined place" he stated.
"That is because that is what Lord Vader wants the galaxy to think" Lekauf explained. "You see, Vader found this world years ago and established it as his private retreat from the galaxy. Problem was, there were already people here" he said. "So Vader made a deal with them. He would allow the natives living here to remain here, as long as half their food, minerals were contributed to him and they had to enlist one member of their family in the Imperial Armed Forces" Lekauf stated. "So, to logically keep this place secret, he placed all of the recruits enlisted here into the 501st, which is Vader's personal battalion and guard" he explained. "Vader had his spies spread lies throughout the galaxy and even had fake evidence and images made to make the rumor that Vjun was a evil place more believable" Lekauf said with a crooked grin.
"Worked so far, and will most likely always work. The people are loyal to Vader, and have no real intent to leave their community, so there's no reason their family members would ever talk about the world outside of the 501st, which is also very loyal to Lord Vader" Lekauf said, his voice thick with respect and admiration.
"Now, we really should retire" Lekauf stated as he rose. "Tomorrow you will start your training with Captain Berruk, who will oversee your hand to hand first thing after breakfast tomorrow" Lekauf said and Luke rose as well and the two men exited the dining room.
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"Order!" Mon Mothma shouted as the Alliance to Restore the Republic's ruling council slowly quieted down. Sighing in relief, Mon gestured at General Rieekan to start his briefing.
"As you all know, the Death Star was damaged during our operation to free princess Leia" he said as some of the council members eyes fell to Leia, who sat at the front of the circular table in the center of the room. "The station was moved to Tarkus II for repairs and is currently guarded by a unknown number of Imperial Ships" he said, "one Imperial Destroyer has been confirmed however" he added, watching as the room sparked with debate, only to be quelled by Mothma's quick tongue. "I realize the threat that battle station represents, but we must also consider the fact that we have only a few dozen X-wings, Y-Wings and the out dated Head Hunters, with only a dozen or so larger ships, most of them being corvettes" Rieekan stated. "I think we should wait until we can decide the full defensive capabilities the Empire has there, then strike" he said.
There were mummers of agreement from the council members before Mothma silenced them. "A vote" she said. "All in favor of waiting until we can analyze the Death Star data more thoroughly as well as more time to plan, raise your hands" she said and relaxed when she saw the majority of the room raise their hands. She knew attacking the Empire blind was certain suicide for their pilots. "We will wait then" she said calmly as the council bell went off, signaling the meeting was over.
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