Corellia

}-(I)-{ }-(I)-{

The decision for Corellia to go to war on Hapes had stirred up all sorts of trouble. Trouble Jysella was definitely not accustomed to. It was a part of the reason why she was currently spending the rest of the day after that fateful decision storming through the capitol looking for one of the primary culprits to the current situation. Tracking Alema down with the Force was a lot harder to do than said. For one, Alema was near undetectable, could be invisible even, in the Force. Two, the countless security checkpoints ate up valuable time and whenever Jysella had reached one location, Alema had already moved on.

So it was with great relief that, towards the end of the day, she reached out with the Force and sensed the Twi'lek in a nearby room. The office of Corellian Admiral Genna Delpin to be exact. Making her own Force presence small, Jysella silently approached the office. The heavy wooden door was slightly ajar, and she could just make out the conversation occurring within.

"I understand that's what we agreed on, but even you can see that the Prime Minister isn't a war leader. She was elected for her political smarts, not her military genius. You, on the other hand, are a veteran of the Vong War. You know what it takes to get the job done."

"What you are suggesting is that I betray the Prime Minister."

"What I'm suggesting is that you take the steps required to preserve as much Corellian lives as possible. This Heritage Council wants the throne, they can have it, I couldn't care less. But what I despise is the fact that they want to manipulate us into gaining it. I was under the impression you were in charge of Corellia's armed forces, so why are we going to have Duchas and spoiled nobles directing us? My way things stay small, contained, no risk of another government butting in. And no risk of Corellian lives being lost in something they shouldn't be interfering with anyways."

"And you said Minister Willems and Lemora are on board?"

"After I pointed out the benefits, yes. All we have to do is appear to be helping the Heritage Council, let chaos run its course, and we'll benefit when the Queen Mother steps down. Ministers Willems and Lemora agreed to talk to the senators of Corellia's allied systems and are pretty sure most of them will be on board too. The fact they won't have to do much but make political statements is definitely a plus."

"And has the Heritage Council agreed?"

"I'll be seeing them first thing when I travel to Hapes."

"Very well, provided you obtain their consent, I'll agree. Corellia will publicly acknowledge the Heritage Council and their allies as the true representatives of Hapes. Whether they actually survive or not in the ensuing Hapan civil war is none of our concern."

"Right, none of your concern. Well, admiral, it's been good talking with you. See ya around," Alema sauntered out the doorway looking like a nexu that had had her fill. "Sella! Hey, what're you doing here? I would have thought you were going with the rest of your family on those troop transports to the fleet."

"Never mind what I'm doing here. What are you doing, here?" Jysella gestured to the office with wide eyes.

Admiral Delpin emerged from the room. "Alema Rar, is there a problem?"

"No problem," Alema said with a jaunty wave of her hand. "Go back to your office and continue planning the offensive. Make sure to close the door behind you."

The admiral blinked slowly, then nodded and returned to her office without protest. Jysella could only gape at the blatant abuse of the Force and the conversation she had overheard.

"Alema, what are you doing?" Jysella finally managed.

"What I do best," Alema answered slyly. "Walk with me, Sella. My transport leaves in a couple of hours but I have some place I have to go first."

"I thought the other Jedi Masters and the ministers had agreed on a quick removal of the Queen Mother and an even faster transition," Jysella hissed as a group of politicians passed them. "So what are you doing now?"

"Listen, Sella. Let's say we go with their plan, let's say Tenel Ka somehow retains the throne. Her enemies will simply slink back into the shadows and pop up again when she can least afford it. This way, I'm going to shine a great big floodlight on them, attach holo signs to their heads, and make it impossible to dig their way out. The way you and the other Jedi wanted, the battle lines were murky, friends could be foes. My way, I'm driving a clear line in the ground. There will be those against Tenel Ka, and those with her. Once that line is drawn, we'll see where everyone falls."

At the almost gleeful way Alema was explaining her reasoning, Jysella shuddered. "Your way, thousands of people will die. It's a civil war."

"Exactly! A civil war, between Hapans. No need for the Corellians to stick their big noses into it. So what if thousands of Hapans die? Bad blood needs to be spilled sooner than later. When the dust settles, Hapes will be even stronger than before. Who knows, maybe the two sides will weaken each other to the point where they both have to call a truce and join together."

"Alema!" Jysella snapped. "The deaths of so many people is nothing to laugh about!"

"Trillions died in the Vong War. I laugh about it because of how pointless that war was," Alema countered. "My sister, dead. My master, dead. Ganner, dead. All those trillions of people, dead. Why? Because a group of other-galaxy nomads were being led by a madman and wanted to create a home by blowing up a galaxy they could have settled in peacefully had they asked. Besides, you're a Jedi. Don't you believe in the fact that there's no death, only the Force? If it helps, think of those who will die in the civil war as simply returning to the Force."

"You've changed," Jysella noted, barely succeeding in regaining control of her emotions.

"You too. But I guess having your dad spout Jedi-wisdom at you for the better part of the last eight years would do that to you." Alema said 'Jedi' almost sarcastically. "Look, right now Hapes is divided. I doubt even Tenel Ka knows how bad it's become. Those cracks in their society are nothing but tools opportunistic businessmen can exploit. Removing Tenel Ka from power will not solve anything in the long run. Tearing open those cracks before anything more can be built on top of it, however, will save us a lot of headaches in the future. People will die, yes. But who's to say they wouldn't have died later on when the foundation built upon those cracks finally breaks?"

Jysella swallowed bitterly, glaring at the Twi'lek. "Is this what you meant a few days ago when you said my father or myself wouldn't understand the things you face?"

"Exactly what I meant. Sometimes a sacrifice is needed for the greater good," Alema said in a silently, bone-chilling tone. "Most of the Jedi are too scared to put that burden on their shoulders. When things become ugly, they look the other way, or slap a fresh coat of paint over it and declare the problem fixed. That's what keeps them from truly being able to keep the peace in this wretched galaxy. What keeps them from making an actual difference."

Her statement stunned Jysella into silence, and they boarded a taxi in front of the capitol building in near silence.

"Refugee Camp Twenty-Three, sector one-three-seven," Alema directed the droid pilot.

"Refugee camp?" Jysella looked to the Twi'lek questioningly. Alema, however, didn't respond.

The streets of Coronet seemed to go by in a rush, Jysella still trying to catch up with the wild direction the past few days had taken her. Given the fact that she continued to be pin-balled by one event after another, she doubted she'd be able to catch up any time soon. All too quickly they left the city proper and began to approach a heavily fenced off area on the outskirts of the city.

"This is as far as I am allowed to take you."The droid announced just outside a heavily-protected checkpoint.

"That's fine, thanks," Alema swiped her credit-chit and slid out of the speeder.

Together, Jysella and Alema approached the guards manning the checkpoint. Large duracrete barriers and a chain-linked fence divided a crowded, tent-filled region from the rest of Corellia. Several armed guards stood watch over a single entrance, their eyes scanning the line of people awaiting entry.

"Hold it," one of the guards held up his gun as Alema and Jysella approached.

"Jedi business," Alema jerked her finger at Jysella. "Go about your business, soldier-boy."

Eyes darted to Jysella's Jedi robes, and the guard nodded. "Alright, go ahead. We've had no problems here, though."

"Good to hear," Alema said with a forced smile.

"Camp Twenty-Three, huh?" Jysella murmured as they stepped pass the gate. "I've never been to this one."

"Understandable. Out of the seventy in system, this is one of the most stable," Alema said. "They have utilities, a police force, and are even starting to grow their own food. Nice place, good people."

"Why are we here?"

"You want to know the downside to being so willing to sacrifice some for the many?" Was Alema's non-answer. "Does hell to my complexion. Makes me forget that there are sometimes things I won't sacrifice for any reason."

Rather than ask another question, Jysella fell silent and followed Alema through a maze of tents and pre-fab structures. She was surprised to see some of the refugees smile or nod at Alema as they passed, paying little attention to her in turn. It was something she definitely wasn't used to. Jedi were always in high demand, couldn't go through a refugee camp without at least one person coming up to them with one complaint or another.

"You've been here before?"

"I've been on Corellia for almost a year now. Part of a refugee group fleeing the Tion mess," Alema said casually. "Where do you think I was living all that time?"

Eventually, the two women came to a larger pre-fab shelter. It looked the same as any of the other shelters around it save for the fact it had two stories instead of one. An older woman, wearing a heavy shawl and ragged clothing, sat in a chair at the doorway. Face partially hidden, the older woman looked up at their approach and took one look at Alema before chuckling softly.

"You're back again, huh?" The old woman spoke with a raspy voice, yet carried herself with a strength that belayed her age.

"Probably the last time in a long while," Alema replied evenly.

The old woman glanced at Jysella for a moment, then to Alema. "So, you've rejoined the Jedi?"

"Temporary thing," Alema said. "A necessary thing."

"Indeed, the children will miss you."

"They'll live. Souls that young always find some way to survive, no matter the hell they're in," Alema answered, her face emotionless. "Are they in?"

"I'll fetch them for you." The old woman stood and disappeared into the building. A few moments later, five children emerged, the oldest seemingly around eleven or twelve years of age.

Upon seeing Alema, a red-haired girl with gold eyes broke ranks and ran to the Twi'lek, wrapping her arms around the taller woman's legs. The action was made in complete silence, the atmosphere somehow becoming tense and desperate all at the same time.

The red-haired girl was the only one to greet Alema in that manner, however, as the others simply looked at Alema with some amount of anxiety.

The puzzling response had Jysella instantly reach out through the Force to determine just what was causing the reaction. One thing Jysella immediately realized was that the girl hugging Alema was Force sensitive, and that she had developed some sort of bond with the Twi'lek.

All at once, a memory of sorts came to her.

A hallway. Scorch marks along once pristine stone walls. Bodies in a trail behind her. Slowly, gleefully, she stalks her prey. It's a man and woman, both completely terrified, stumbling, crying, as they push their way into a bedroom.

There's no rush. She savors the fear, the terror, casually rounding the corner.

"Time to die," she says with a smile.

"Please! Why are you doing this? We've never hurt anyone! We're just housekeepers!"

"You're going to die because you're weak," she replies in a cold, almost detached voice. "A new future is coming, one neither of you have a place in. Your employer stands in the way of that future, thus you do as well."

With a gesture, the male is lifted into the air. She leaps, a single lightsaber activating for a fraction of a second. The man's body falls to the floor in two, his wife emitting a terrified whimper.

"Your turn."

"Mommy!" A voice cries out from the open doorway.

"No! Lyda, run away!" The woman screams in desperation, seconds before her head is removed from her body. She never saw the blade coming.

The child who had called out is frozen in place, golden eyes dilated and breathing shallow.

Jysella could feel herself raise her lightsaber again despite her best attempts to stop the nightmare from unfolding.

Suddenly, the clouds outside one of the windows shifts, allowing pale beams of moonlight to filter into the room. She catches a glimpse of herself in one of the full-length mirrors attached to the bedroom door.

It's only then that she stops. Yellow eyes, full of malice, of cruelty, stare back at her. Skin, darkened, veined, a reflection so alien to her that the shock causes her to gasp. The hand gripping the lightsaber begins to shake, and as it does, she becomes aware of the little girl murmuring a litany of pleas.

"Don't hurt me. Please go away. Please, I don't want to die."

Jysella could feel her stomach twist in knots, her heart temporarily skipping a beat as she turns her gaze back to her reflection. Her hand still shaking uncontrollably, she sheaths her lightsaber and glances past the girl to the trail of death she had left behind.

What had she become?

"You all doing well?" Alema asked, running a hand through the hair of the young girl hugging her. At the same time, however, Alema nodded ever so slightly in Jysella's direction, a pained expression breaking through for the slightest of moments. "I'm going to be going away for a little bit, but I'll be back soon."

The group continued to eye Alema, none of them saying anything. Alema detached the young girl at her side and knelt down so she was eye-level. "Lyda Rae, you're doing a good job taking care of the others. Keep up the good work."

The red-haired girl nodded and stepped back with the rest.

"Go back inside and finish your meal, now," Alema gestured. "Behave for Lady Sani, 'kay?"

They shuffled back into the building, none of them saying a single word during the entire encounter. Alema and the older woman shared a singular nod, before the raspy-voiced woman likewise retreated back into the building.

"Those were children from that intelligence analyst's house, weren't they?" Jysella whispered, reaching out to Alema in the Force, only to be rebuffed. "The one you told me about."

"I did say no one was left alive inside," Alema confirmed, gesturing for Jysella to walk alongside her. "I couldn't save the others, though. My business associate had too much fun and kind of went crazy."

"What happened to him?"

"Tripped on some stairs, fell down, and impaled himself with his own lightsaber and broke his neck," Alema said glibly. "Those poor kids though. Most of them are too traumatize, won't say another word. Lyda, you saw it right? She was the one who pleaded for her life after I killed her parents. Still have no clue why she'd attach herself to me like that. Stupid Force bond."

"What do you mean?"

"I get hurt, she feels it," Alema grumbled. "It's why I decided to come to take a small vacation here on Corellia. Job hazards meant that I'd only get her killed if something happened to me."

"She can come to the Jedi Prax…"

"Never," Alema said sharply. "If she ever wants to become a Jedi, she can make the choice to do so when she gets older."

"But if she has the potential…"

"She should use it? For what? She's a kid right now. It's my fault her parents are dead and that her childhood is shot to pieces. She may not have much of a life in this camp, but it's better than any life you Jedi can give her."

"So you're teaching her about the basics and everything?"

"Me, a friend or two," Alema confirmed cryptically.

Jysella stared at Alema analytically. The more she knew about the Twi'lek, the more she could see just how much the seven years had changed her. Alema was practically a walking contradiction, existing in neither the 'good' category or the 'bad'. There was the 'good' as Alema saw it, and the 'bad' that needed fixing.

"You're scared of me now, aren't you?" Alema said conversationally. "Or either that, you don't know what to make of me."

"More of the latter, some of the former."

"It's understandable. I'm scared of what I'm becoming too," Alema continued off-handedly. "Worried that when it all ends for me I'll be seen by what I've done and not what I've tried to do."

"'When it all ends'?"

Alema offered a faint smirk. "I expect I'll be very much dead before the next great war is over. And I don't mean the one with Corellia and Hapes."

"Alema…"

"Cheer up, that war's still a couple years away. My bosses don't like unknowns so they're waiting for this situation to be resolved first."

"Your bosses will start a war?"

"They're kind of crazy like that," Alema said with a cheerful smile. They exited the camp, walking along a vacant dirt road leading back to the main city. "You know the 'We must burn the galaxy to make it anew, a galaxy in our image, so that all the injustices will be righted,' types of people."

Jysella froze in place, a clenching feeling in her stomach keeping her feet rooted to the ground. Alema likewise stopped, though she was a couple steps in front of the human Jedi. The Twi'lek smiled ruefully and glanced over her shoulder.

"I said too much, didn't I?" Alema murmured. "Keep forgetting you're the daughter of one of the smarter Jedi Masters in the order."

"Your bosses…they're dark Jedi, aren't they?" Jysella said in a whisper. She could feel her heart hammering against her chest as Alema nodded once.

"Sith lords and ladies, actually," Alema answered idly. "They've quite the army by now."

"You have to tell my dad, the other Jedi."

"Tell them what? They can't do anything now, not with the galaxy in the shape it's in."

"But they need to prepare, at least…" Jysella stopped when the silvery tip of one of Alema's lightsabers extended to mere millimeters from her throat.

"You do that and my bosses will go so deep underground that you won't ever be able to find them. They'll disappear and reappear when the galaxy is at its weakest, probably when we're all long dead and gone. Despite their egos, they aren't stupid people. If they even feel the slightest tremor in the Force that the Jedi are aware of their existence, they'll stay hidden, let the Order wear itself out chasing shadows in the night."

"Then why tell me!" Jysella snapped. "I know you're not that careless, Alema. You knew I'd make the connection."

"Me being selfish I guess," Alema shrugged, deactivating her lightsaber and hooking it back on her belt. "Did some thinking after what you told me the other night. It does feel kind of better to know that I'm not the only one who knows. That if I'm volunteered to rejoin the Force, someone else can at least continue where I left off. You did want some of my burdens, right?"

Jysella clenched her jaw, and then glanced towards the afternoon sun. "Can I at least tell Val?"

"If you want to," Alema answered. "Like I said, the more people who know, the more likely it is for the Sith to just disappear."

The younger woman absorbed the statement silently. She then glanced back to Alema sharply. "The destabilization of the Outer Rim, the rising crime…"

"We only latched onto it once things started falling apart," Alema shook her head. "You know we thrive on chaos and discord, but we weren't the ones who initiated things. It's why my bosses grew alarmed when things began straying away from their plans. You know Sith, when it comes to controlling things, they're almost neurotic."

"So you're telling me that there's another group of people out there capable of causing so much trouble in the galaxy, and even if we find them, we'll still have your …friends… to deal with afterwards?"

"Pretty much," Alema answered. "Now you see why I'll probably be dead in the next decade?"

"That's not going to happen," Jysella growled.

"Don't get me wrong. Numa would kick my butt if I died any time soon. But the odds don't look all that great for me."

"Alema," Jysella reached out to touch the scarred right shoulder of the Twi'lek. "You're on Corellia. You know what we do to odds. We eat 'em for breakfast."

"What are you going to do? Join me in some grand adventure infiltrating the Sith?" Alema chuckled fondly, letting a thumb brush across Jysella's cheek. "Jysella, don't…"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Yes," Jysella repeated. "I'll join you. Dad always taught me and Val that undercover officers worked in pairs, partners. They watched each others' backs and kept the other from falling off the deep end. So what if I can't tell anyone. I'm going to make damned sure that as many people survive when your bosses finally decide to act."

"Even if you can only save those on Corellia?"

"They'd be lives who probably would have died if I didn't act." Then, in light of the new information, Jysella tilted her head at Alema. "That's why you wanted the Corellian Praxeum declare itself separate from the rest of the Order. Why you're trying to keep Corellia out of a war with Hapes and why you're trying to get Tenel Ka's enemies to reveal themselves. You're trying to save as many of our friends as you can. Set the stage for when your bosses do come."

"Guilty as charged. You really are scary smart, Jysella. You've spent the past several years well."

"I was put in charge of public relations and was acting as the praxeum's political liaison," Jysella answered. "Had to learn how to think fast and make connections. Helps that my family's always been good at the mind-stuff."

Alema bit her bottom lip and looked away. "Jysella. I still don't…"

"Then you never should have told me."

"Are you sure?"

"It's not like I'll be joining the Sith or anything," Jysella said calmly. "You can tell your bosses you found a naïve little Jedi you can manipulate, and I'll be your link back to the Jedi when the time comes."

"No, they'd probably ask to meet you, and then kill you when you no longer were of any use. Sith don't value idiots and those easily manipulated," Alema disagreed immediately. "If you're doing this, you'll have to become my apprentice. Only then will I be able to protect you from most of the stuff you might otherwise be forced to do."

"I'll be teaming up with you, not joining the Sith," Jysella clarified.

"Look at it however will make you sleep better at night," Alema replied coldly. "But if you're going to do this, just like the Corellian Praxeum splitting from the rest of the Order, you'll have to be all-in. No doubts, no fear, no hesitation. "

Jysella released a long breath and then nodded once. "We Horns see things through to the end."

Alema closed her eyes, a surge of emotional pain escaping tightly controlled barriers. Finally, she forced a cheery smile. "Great. Welcome aboard. Worry about the Sith later, though. First we have the Corellians, Hapans, and other fools who will no doubt get involved, to deal with."

"In other words, just a regular day as a Jedi," Jysella said fondly. Mentally, she cursed the day for launching even more curve balls at her before she could handle the ones that had been thrown previously. "We definitely don't lead uncomplicated, boring lives."

Alema winked at Jysella, no doubt sensing her inner turmoil. "True, where would the fun be in that?"

}-(II)-{ }-(II)-{

"The Queen Mother has returned to Hapes to give birth to her child," Ducha Temperess AlGray reported. "It is said she is using her Jedi sorcery to ensure that the child will be born tomorrow. We have that long to plan and move our forces into position. Because of this, our meeting must be accelerated."

"Understood," Twenty-three year old Jedi Knight and Corellian Defense Force Major, Valin Horn said. "The Jedi of the Corellian Praxeum are currently embedded in a Corellian strikeforce en route to the Relephon system. We're two hours out."

"When you arrive, you will immediately meet with the Heritage Council for our final stage of planning. In order to make use of your unique talents efficiently, and to minimize loss of life, we need to be sure of where our two sides stand."

"Begging your pardon, Ducha, but is it not risky to have the Heritage Council in one place on the eve of setting our plans into motion?"

"We have no choice. In the run up to the birth of the chume'da, the Royal Intelligence Service has increased their scrutiny on inter-system communications. Hypercomm and holocom meetings are more susceptible to interception. Face-to-face is the only reliable way we can avoid their prying eyes and ears. Besides, everyone on the Heritage Council is devoted to ushering in a new future for Hapes, will give our lives for it if we have to. Change cannot come without risk after all."

"If you are so dedicated, then we will proceed as you have planned," Valin said professionally. "Corellia and her Jedi are willing to let the Heritage Council take the lead in this endeavor. The fate of the Consortium should be decided by Hapans."

"Wise words, young Jedi. Peace will be achieved by your brave decision to help, there is no doubt about that. We of the Heritage Council look forward to your arrival." The communication-link was terminated, and the standard chatter that normally filled a capital ship bridge took its place.

"Peace," Valin scoffed, gazing out the window of the bridge. He was on a Corellian Dreadnaught, the flagship of a small armada en route to the Consortium, grimacingly-named the Halcyon. It was supposed to be an allusion to peaceful times, tranquility; though he doubted that peace and tranquility ever needed more turbolaser batteries than an Imperial-class Star Destroyer. Nor did it need a fleet of twenty capital ships and support vessels from Corellia and her allied systems.

He also didn't miss the obvious symbolic link the ship's name had to his family's past. Leave it to the spawn of the Halcyon family line to break ranks with traditional Jedi teaching and actually wage war in the name of Corellia.

"Some peace," Jysella said, echoing his thoughts. She stepped up to his side like a shadow.

"Get the feeling we're about to make a big mistake?" Valin said softly. A brief use of Force kept the rest of the bridge crew ignorant of their presences. "That we're being herded towards this chain of events by some unseen hand?"

"Yeah," Jysella agreed. "But what can we do? It's not like we can ask the universe to hold up for a moment while we figure out what's going on."

"It just feels wrong," Valin rubbed at the scar across the bridge of his nose. "Like even if we're doing this with the best of intentions, the Force is warning us against it anyways. Remove one Jedi from power, save millions, right?"

Jysella's answer was silence. Being two siblings of a power mind-manipulating family, Valin instantly picked up on the guilt.

"Sella?"

"It's nothing."

"Not nothing," Valin's expression tightened. "Walk with me."

"I'm not a little girl any more, Val." Jysella fell in line anyways

"You're still my little sister," Valin retorted sharply.

"So what, you're going to tell dad?" Jysella said sarcastically, following him out of the bridge and into a turbolift.

"Whatever it is, it has to do with that Twi'lek, doesn't it?"

"Her name is Alema."

"Her name is 'bad news'," Valin snapped. "I know you've seen the ravages of the dark side on her body. Felt how different she is in the Force compared to eight years ago. You're not blind or stupid. So what are you doing listening to a word she says, much less going along with her? She's changed, Sella."

"We all have!" Jysella hissed, jabbing his shoulder with a finger. The turbolift doors opened and they stormed out at a brisk pace. "You'd be the last person I thought would judge someone by their appearances. There's good in her, a whole lot more than most people."

"She's messing with your mind," Valin said, trying to control his emotions. "You heard her list her activities for the Corellian interrogators. She's killed innocents, preyed upon the weak, manipulated people into harming one and other. How were any of those actions good? Why do you keep defending her when it's clear the Alema she once was doesn't exist anymore?"

"You wouldn't understand," Jysella said with narrowed eyes. She pounded the door-control, and a massive sparring room opened up before them.

"Then make me understand," Valin snapped. "The last thing dad or I want is for you to go dark because you believe you're doing the right thing."

"Then what are we doing now?" Jysella countered, moving to the opposite end of the room. "We're going to help the Corellians depose a friend of the Jedi Order, help usurpers take her place, all in the name of doing the right thing! Of finding the truth!"

"You heard dad. Even if we didn't help out, a coup would have occurred without our participation. And quit trying to change the topic."

"Quit treating me as if I'm some sort of little girl. I know what I'm doing, Valin."

Valin unclipped his lightsaber from his belt. It was very unlike the single-bladed weapon he had used during the Yuuzhan Vong War, the basic lightsaber he had made at the Shelter. Instead, electrum, cobalt, and opal inlays were integrated into the hilt, with a unique set of crystals acting as the focus. The materials had been provided by Corellia's government, eager to put their 'stamp of approval' on 'their' Jedi. "Do you? Because the Jysella I knew wouldn't feel guilty about actually saving lives."

Jysella's expression darkened. "You'd really think I'd be okay with letting someone die? Valin, as powerful as we are, we can't save everyone. Even if we remove Tenel Ka from power, what good will that do to all those who supported her? Do you really think the Heritage Council is going to let them live, to remain a threat to their power? It'll be a slaughter of the royalists, a slaughter we'll have sanctioned by helping the Heritage Council with their coup. If we do things Alema's way, at least those people will have a fighting chance. They might actually win. The Valin I knew would have trusted me on this, wouldn't have assumed I'd take millions of lives so lightly."

"Jysella." Valin said warningly, his back towards her.

"Before the Vong War you were laid back, gentle," Jysella pushed on. "When you took on Tiu Zax as your apprentice, I saw hints of that old Valin again. But you've definitely changed too, so you're in no position to be talking down to me."

"I know what it's like to be burned by someone you thought was a friend!" Valin hissed, spinning back around. "To be so blind to hope and the things the Jedi Order preaches that you can't see the reality staring you in the face."

"Don't you dare compare Alema to that Vong you befriended in the Remnant," Jysella snapped, pulling out her own lightsaber. "She's doing what she's doing by choice. Not because she's stupid enough to listen to nonsensical orders."

Lightsabers on either side of the room activated, Valin's emerald green blade pushing against Jysella's flaming yellow. The few people who had been training in the room ceded the floor to the two Horn siblings and looked on in nervous anticipation.

"I can take care of myself, big brother," Jysella said, now it was her turn to be the calm one. "Let me show you."

Jysella launched herself through the air, her amber-shaded blade a blur. Valin met her with a leap of his own, their sabers clashing several times before they both landed back on the ground. No time was wasted, and the two immediately re-engaged, the difference in their fighting styles immediately apparent; even to the untrained eye.

"Still using that modified Vong-fighting technique you learned from Tahiri's holocron, huh?" Jysella remarked, a small smirk on her face as she blocked a Yuuzhan Vong amphistaff-inspired saber thrust. "That says a lot."

"To know how your enemy fights is to know your enemy," Valin retorted, batting aside her light and fast jabs with authoritative sweeps of his lightsaber.

"And I know how Alema fights," Jysella arched herself backwards to let Valin's green blade pass over her. She then whipped her body around and to the side, her saber following her every movement, burning it into the air like a ribbon of light. She spun and pivoted, dancing around the powerful strikes of her brother. "I know her. You're not even trying to understand what she's doing."

"What's there to understand? If she wanted to, she could have returned to the Jedi Order any time, but she didn't." Valin body-checked his sister, catching her off-balance and sending her sprawling. With a guttural yell he lunged with his lightsaber, but Jysella had rolled with her momentum and popped back up a safe distance away.

"Return to what?"Jysella was bouncing on the balls of her feet now, her shoulders bobbing up and down as she began to circle her brother. "We would have put her on trial."

"We would have uncovered the truth."

"Like we're doing now with Hapes and Corellia?" Jysella said as their argument circled back to their initial quandary. She launched a series of lightning fast thrusts that seemed to come from all directions as she infused the Force into each attack. "The Jedi Order doesn't have all the answers." She punctuated each word with a lightning-quick strike.

With a bold spin of his lightsaber, Valin knocked all of her attacks aside. Before she could recover, he reached out with his free hand and grabbed her wrist. Her lightsaber died away, leaving her staring defiantly at Valin's green blade. "Neither does Alema."

Jysella contorted herself and her arm, twisting herself free of Valin's grip. "The Jedi Order's ways haven't been working for the past five years. We need a new plan."

"And following the advice of someone who's obviously spent time with dark Jedi is a better idea?" Valin said incredulously, shutting off his saber. "Sella, listen to yourself. Do you really see the Hapan people as someone we can just 'sacrifice' because they'd 'just die anyways'? That it really is better to have millions killed in a civil war over the removal of one Jedi? Think about it, Sella. I know you're smart, you've got mom's brains. Spend some time away from your Twi'lek friend and just think about whatever it is she's told you. I'm not saying our current course of action is the best one, but I know it's probably loads better than whatever that Twi'lek has planned."

"Fine," Jysella said with a jerk of her head. "I'll do that. But if I decide to go along with what she has planned?"

"Then you'll do it regardless of what I say," Valin said. "At least I tried though."

"Why won't you give her a chance?" Jysella frowned.

"I am. I'm giving her a chance to prove me right."

"And you say Alema's the one that's changed," Jysella said snidely, hooking her lightsaber to her belt. "I'm going to get dressed for the meeting with the Heritage Council. Let me know when we've arrived."

}-(III)-{ }-(III)-{

"Six noble houses make up the Heritage Council: AlGray, Aros, Chell, Galney, Gheer, Thane," Jysella recited under her breath as their shuttle descended through the thin atmosphere of House AlGray's primary moon, Sapphire.

Called Saf'raire in the native Hapan tongue, the Heaven's Mirror, the azure-hued celestial body loomed ever larger, framed by the gas giant behind it. For all their humanoid appearances it was really easy to forget that Hapans were officially a 'near-human' species, with their own culture and language. In fact, before the Empire made contact with them, they had been isolated from the rest of the galaxy for millennia. Only the elite and diplomatic corps were capable of speaking Basic, and even then, most of the Consortium had yet to actually meet anyone from the greater galaxy.

"Nervous, Jedi Knight Horn?" The lone Jedi Apprentice in the team, nine-year old Selonian Shrona Ruluwoor, asked sagely.

"That obvious?" Jysella said with a faint smile. "This is important stuff going on. Any amount of points we can win with the Hapans will matter."

"Then maybe you should say 'Ta'e erenada,'" Shrona read off a datapad. "It means, 'Eternity to she who has no equal'. It's normally used to greet the Queen Mother during her trips to the rest of the Consortium."

"Natua gave you that datapad?" Jysella smiled, glancing briefly to where the Falleen Jedi was talking with several others from the Corellian Praxeum.

Shrona's polecat head bobbed as she nodded and held the datapad up for Jysella to see. "My master said that I should learn about the people we are visiting. That their den and ways were different from Corellia's and that we can only truly understand what is happening here by becoming Hapan instead of Corellian or Jedi."

Feeling like some sort of lizard-monkey, Jysella blinked. "Become Hapan?"

"Uh huh. This is a Hapan problem," Shrona said. "Hapan problems can only be solved by Hapans. Trying to solve a Hapan problem as a Jedi or Corellian will only make things more difficult and complicated. Because then it will be a Hapan-Jedi-Corellian problem. At least that's what my master said."

"Square peg, round slot, huh," Jysella said ruefully. "Natua definitely makes some sense."

"She's smart," Shrona said worshipfully.

"Yup," Jysella narrowed her gaze at the Falleen. "Considering she practically jumped at the chance to have Corellia go to war with Hapes, she has to have seen something the rest of us didn't."

The rest of the shuttle trip passed quickly, light conversation covering for the fact that its occupants were about to undergo a possibly history-changing meeting with a band of coup-plotters. Rather than dock at Sapphire's primary spaceport, the shuttle bypassed it and headed towards the almost prism-like palatial structure that was House AlGray's headquarters and home.

Situated high on a rocky crag, much like the Fountain Palace on Hapes, the home of the AlGrays was every bit as extravagant and luxurious as its Hapan counterpart. The shuttle did a single fly-by of the sprawling compound, before coming around to the back of the rocky crag. A wall of rock retracted, revealing a secret landing pad behind it. The shuttle continued on, the wall of rock closing behind it.

"Looks like they've brought out everyone to greet us," Valin noted, staring at the gathered crowd through the shuttle's viewport.

"Great, the heads of all the families we're working with," Jysella said, unable to keep the nervousness from her voice.

"Of course they would be here to greet us," Natua commented with a touch of un-Natua airiness and squared shoulders. Question glances were sent in her direction, and she raised her eyebrow crest in response. "We are the key to their power. It would behoove them to get on our good side."

Shrona copied Natua's superior tilt of her head, looking every bit as confident as her master.

"Please don't go anti-Falleen all the sudden. It's more than scary when you do that," Jysella laughed.

"For a moment, I almost fell for it," Valin likewise chuckled. "Come on, let's see what the stuffed shirts have for us this time."

As the Horns continued on to the airlock, both Shrona and Natua shared secretive high-fives and fell in line. Alema and several Corellians completed their delegation, bringing the number in their party to ten.

"Admiral," Alema said to Corellian ranking officer accompanying them, Admiral Vara Karathas. "Put any thought to the matter I brought up? Delpin, Lemora, and Willems are already onboard."

"Unlike their fickle attitudes, my loyalty is to Corellia, not some Twi'lek outsider," the gray-haired woman relied coolly. "Prime Minister Saxan agreed to our current plan, so that is what we will do."

Alema smiled coldly. "A pity then."

"A threat?"

"Oh, no," Alema said, her smile seemingly frozen on her face. "Just a pity that you're so willing to sacrifice Corellian lives for a matter that has nothing to do with Corellia at all."

"Practice your silver tongue elsewhere," Admiral Karathas rebuked. "The Five Worlds Council and her allies agreed that the sacrifice was worth the eventual benefits. We'd be helping not just Hapes, but the many worlds she can give her resources too."

"Like I said, a pity."

The hatch to the shuttle lowered, and a band began playing a rousing welcoming tune. Several rows of security personnel, arrayed on either side of an azure carpet, snapped to attention, saluting sharply as the Jedi and Corellians descended from their ship.

"What a way to feel welcomed," Jysella murmured, the rousing music continuing, the beat seemingly matching their measured footfalls.

"Notice how the nobles are having us walk to them and not the other way around?" Natua whispered, her lips barely moving. "They're still trying to cling to some semblance that they're in control."

"Going to do something about that, Natua?" Valin said, his voice likewise barely audible as they grew nearer to the gathering of nobles.

"Of course, do you mind of Shrona and I take the lead, Valin?" Natua asked.

"Be my guest," Valin nodded once.

"Mind if I tag along?" Alema said, fast-walking her way to the front of the formation.

"Not at all," Natua said, before Valin could object.

Alema glanced at Natua for a long moment, then smirked. "Rhysode really did a good job with you."

"He is still with me in the Force," Natua replied smoothly, her voice the same inflection, without a hint of emotion.

"Corellian Jedi and Corellians, welcome to Saf'raire," Ducha Temperess AlGray said regally. "We are honored by your arrival and thank you for adjusting your plans in light of unexpected developments."

"Your honor is neither our concern nor of any importance," Natua began coldly. "Corellia is taking a great risk by allying with a group not even strong or brave enough to launch a coup on their own. Her Jedi are taking an even greater risk, as we are exposing ourselves to retribution and shame should this ill-planned coup go on ahead."

"You are our guests, so I suggest…"

"Let's get one thing clear," Shrona spoke up after Natua gently nudged her. "We are the ones with an entire war fleet above your den-moon. Whether you live or die is up to us. We can just as easily tell on you and get the Queen Mother to be our friend instead."

"Precisely," Natua continued evenly. "The fact that we have chosen to side with you is purely because it is convenient for Corellia at the moment. The minute you cease being useful, the second we suspect any one of you is thinking of going back on our deal, our alliance is off."

Ducha AlGray reeled back, but then glowered. "You cannot…" Her words died off in a strangled gurgle. Eyes darted towards the blue Twi'lek whose arm was extended towards the noblewoman.

"It appears you weren't getting the message, old woman," Alema said, her voice full of amusement. "You heard the little one. Whether you live or die is solely up to us. If I wanted to I could snap your neck and let one of the other smarter houses take over. Is that what you want old woman, for me to snap your neck like a twig?"

Temperess frantically shook her head, all the while clawing at her throat for air.

"Then you'll be a good girl and do as we say?" Alema continued, a definite edge in her voice.

Temperess nodded just as frantically.

"Well then," Alema opened her hand and the Ducha was deposited unceremoniously to the ground. "Glad that's cleared up. Anyone else object to our way of doing things? You were the ones that called us in after all."

The Hapan nobles all exchanged panicked and uncertain glances with on and other, shifting uncomfortably. Eventually, each of them shook their head in negative.

'Good. I'm going to go find the guest suites. Carry on."

The deafening silence left in the wake of the retreating click of her heels on the hangar floor stretched out as Corellians and Hapans tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"Well then," Ducha Galney was the first to recover. "If you will follow us, we'll lead you to the conference room and we can make our final plans there."

"Lead the way," Natua said, stone-faced.

Following the Hapan delegation, Valin and Jysella fell into step on either side of Natua. "What was that? Aren't they supposed to be our allies?"

"I was thinking in terms of being Hapan. In order to be allies, they had to see us as equal or superior. Shrona and I were going to demonstrate that we would not be pushed around like their servants or the lesser noble houses," Natua said in a low voice. "Unfortunately, Alema took that one step further and made them feel inferior and helpless as well, not my intended plan. What the former-Jedi Rar has planned, I do not know. But it will be much harder to work with the nobles now that they have it in their minds we view them and treat them as inferiors."

"What is Alema planning?" Valin scowled, shooting a glance at his sister.

"Whatever it is," Natua said. "There is no mistaking that she has come dangerously close to the dark side, perhaps she has even fallen and learned to hide it."

"Natua," Jysella spoke up in protest.

"Were you capable of it, would you have throttled the Ducha and used the Force to make them all fear you?" Natua asked simply.

Jysella shook her head silently.

"Wherever Alema has been, it is clear her view of the galaxy has changed greatly," Natua concluded. "The Hapans are not the only ones we will have to keep an eye out for."

}-(IV)-{ }-(IV)-{

The meeting room was deep underground beneath the palace. Insulated and hardened against all forms of surveillance, what was said in the room was only going to be known by those in it.

Which was fortunate considering the nature of the current conversation.

"So you are saying that regardless of the birth of the crown princess, your people won't be able to get into position for at least another two weeks?" Valin said in disbelief. "Our fleet is in Consortium space now."

"That's why we wanted to delay the meeting," Ducha Zir-dan Gheer said with a worried nod. "Travel permits to Hapes were limited when the Queen Mother returned from Denon. We were only able to get thirty-percent of our agents in before then."

"However the birth of the chume'da complicates things," Ducha Asin'vi Aros spoke up. "Should the Queen Mother have been removed from power without a designated heir, the Heritage Council would have been able to assume control without any problems."

"In other words, when the Queen Mother gives birth, we will have to be rid of her daughter to end the line of succession," Duch'da Rivan Chell said coldly. "Even if we removed the Queen Mother, Hapan law dictates that her daughter will be next in line. The Royal Guard, who would have been obligated to safeguard us after the Queen Mother's removal, would be loyal to the chume'da instead."

"You can't seriously be talking about killing a babe who was just born?" Jysella said incredulously.

"If the Queen Mother publicly renounces her family's claim to Hapes, then we won't have to," Zir-dan answered.

"And how will you get her to do that?" Alema scoffed. "If you off her, she won't be able to give any statement. You kidnap her and the Royal Guard will hound you. Are you going to send a delegation to her demanding such a statement?"

"If she won't step down, then we will have no choice to purge her family line from Hapes," Ducha Siabali Galney said with unnerving calm. "Our scientists are developing a nanovirus tailored specifically to the Royal Family. Anyone with familial ties to the Queen Mother will be little more than walking corpses within hours of being infected. This should remove any 'legitimate' claims to the throne and ensure the Heritage Council's power."

"The Corellians can help us by keeping the Royal Navy at bay until we've re-established control over the chain of command. The Jedi, to keep the Elite Guard away until we have deposed the Queen Mother and chume'da," Ducha Vianel Thane simpered. "Our own people will do the wet-work. It should be Hapans who decide the future of Hapes after all."

"Killing a child is out of the question," Jysella objected.

"Then we will simply take the child and the Corellian Jedi can raise her as one of their own," the lone male noble in the room, Duch'da Ri'ander Chell answered in clipped tones. "Either way, the child cannot remain in Consortium space."

"We can decide on the fate of the child when the time comes," Siabali cut in impatiently. "What we must do now is decide if we should go ahead with the coup with only the assets we have in place now, or wait until all is in readiness. With the strength of the Corellian fleet, coupled with the ships loyal to our families, we have enough to launch an attack today if we have to. The longer we wait, the greater the chance our plot will be detected."

"Agreed, if you think security is tight with the birth of the chume'da around the corner, wait until after she is born. My House's attempt to eliminate her when she was in the womb failed and we were only fortunate that the lesser Houses were the ones that took the blame. I was a fool to leave things to Exna, but at least we were able to learn about their response," Zir-dan said tersely. "After the failed poisoning, security was so tight, and the Royal Guard practically everywhere. Even petty criminals decided to take the next few weeks off."

"So you are basically saying we only have one shot left in our blaster," Valin spoke, his face impassive. "We fire that charge and it will either take out our enemy or give our position away. If we miss…"

"Then Corellia will undoubtedly become the enemy of the Queen Mother and the forces she commands," House Galney's Ducha finished. "And the winners of the coming civil war will decide the fate of the losers."

"First things first," Temperess AlGray spoke for the first time. "Are we to launch our attack now or in two week's time?"

"If we only have one shot, two week's time would be better," Jysella said. "Even if we have all our forces in place, it's no guarantee that we'll win, but the chances will definitely be stronger."

"I agree," Natua spoke with a singular nod.

"House Gheer and House Chell likewise believe a later attack will be more successful." The delegates from the two Houses spoke.

"Then it is only a matter of dividing up the Jedi," Ducha Galney said. "How many have you brought with you?"

"All eight Knights from our praxeum," Valin said. "Our masters stayed behind on Corellia to look after the younger ones and coordinate efforts there. There is an equal split between those suited for directing space battle, and those better off fighting on the ground. The moment a single Jedi enters the Hapan system, however, the Queen Mother will detect him or her. We will be the last pieces to move, the signal that the attack should commence."

"Understood." The Heritage Council members all nodded. "We will let our houses know of the upcoming attack and plan accordingly. Thank you again for your assistance. The history of the Consortium will soon be rewritten."

"Yes," Alema said with a smirk. "Yes, it most definitely will."

}-(V)-{ }-(V)-{

Jysella was awakened to the incessant sound of a blaring alarm. Unlike Natua and Alema, she and Valin had opted to return to their quarters aboard the Corellian dreadnaught rather than remain on Sapphire in the guest quarters. A decision that she wasn't sure she regretted or not. She quickly threw on her Jedi robes, emerging from her quarters at the same time as her brother.

"It's not even morning yet and there's already trouble, just great," Valin said grumpily.

"Hope it's the easily manageable kind," Jysella said, similarly displeased. Neither she nor her brother were good at waking up on cue, at least not until they had their cup of caf. And being awakened only a couple of hours after going to sleep was not welcomed in the slightest.

They moved onto the bridge where Admiral Karathas was barking out orders. With her was Ducha Zir-Dan Chume Ta'Gheer, who had come aboard to coordinate Corellian fleet-movements with the ships of her own House.

"Deploy fighter wings Alpha and Gamma! Tell the Corsuca Gem to swing about!"

"What's going on, Admiral? Ducha?" Valin shouted over the almost deafening din of the busy bridge.

"Hapan Royal Navy elements dropped out of hyperspace for a surprise spot-check of House AlGray. We tried to hide behind the other Relephon moons, but hiding twenty capital ships at a moment's notice was too much. It didn't help that those Royal Navy pilots were thorough. Their scouts detected the outer edge of our fleet and we had no choice but to engage them. Comm-scan reports a small fleet of two Hapan Battle Dragons escorted by four Nova-class battle cruisers. They were attempting an outbound course when the vanguard of our fleet caught up with them. We're fortunate Relephon's gravity well is keeping them from jumping, but we're pretty sure they manage to get word out to neighboring fleets."

"'Easily manageable kind,'" Jysella mumbled to herself. "What's the status on the enemy fleet unit?"

"We've taken out one Battle Dragon and the two battle cruisers that had been escorting it. The other three vessels are being protected by their fighter screen and continue their attempts to flee."

"There's no way those captains could have expected running smack dab into a battle fleet," Valin said. "Broadcast a demand to surrender. We have to know if there's more to this spot-check than we're seeing."

"They're Hapan Royal Navy, surrender is not an option for them," Zir-dan said grimly. "They'll die serving their Queen Mother. Besides, we're better off if there's no survivors, less chance of our plans being discovered."

"Do it anyway," Valin ordered sharply. "Any casualties on our side?"

"Heavy structural damage to the Bombardier and Hand of Justice," the admiral reported, gesturing to the Corellian frigates. "Captains of both are dead, as are a good portion of the crews. We'll probably end up scrapping one or both for spare parts. We've also lost seventeen fighters, despite the near ten-to-one odds in our favor. The Royal Navy pilots were much more skilled than the farmboys we were given."

"Sir! Another Battle Dragon and two more Novas just dropped out of hyperspace. It appears as if they're trying to cover the retreat of the three in our scopes," a sensor operator called out.

"Must have been close by enough to receive the distress call before we could jam it," Karathas cursed. "Tell the Blindside and Acolyte to target the battle cruisers first. We won't be able to touch that third dragon until our heavy ships have caught up."

"The longer our fleet stays here, the greater a chance more Hapans will see it," Valin cautioned.

"Agreed, we need to move the bulk of the fleet away from here. Ducha, recommendations?"

"Get me Ducha Galney," Zir-dan ordred, snapping a finger at a comm-officer. He quickly obeyed. "Siabali. A situation has arisen in orbit. Is your territory ready to receive the Corellian fleet?"

"We are. How grave a situation is it?"

"The Corellians have things under control, but the events will bring intense scrutiny on House AlGray. It is best if the Heritage Council leaves sometime today."

"Understood." The image of the Ducha faded away.

Addressing the Jedi and Corellians, Zir-dan gestured to the sprawling fleet. "Move the fleet to the Terephon system, House Galney's territory. It is shrouded in the Transitory Mists, which prevents any long-range or holocomm emissions from escaping. It is considered backwater by most Hapans, and the Ducha's younger sister is a noted supporter of the Queen Mother, so the Queen Mother won't even think to look there."

"Jedi?" Admiral Karathas looked to the two Horns for approval.

"Do it," Valin nodded once.

"Comm-operator! Tell any ships not currently engaged with the Hapans to withdraw to the following coordinates. Helm, I want us in the middle of that skirmish, and I wanted us there yesterday!"

The Corellian fleet quickly began breaking formation, peeling off and heading towards different exit vectors as fast as they could. The Halcyon, in the meantime, continued to press forward, finally overtaking the ships that had been bogged down in battle.

"Targeting solutions on all remaining enemy vessels, acquired," the weapons station called out.

"Target engines, weapons, and life support. Fire when ready," Karathas announced.

The Corellian dreadnaught, twice the size of a standard Hapan Battle Dragon, loomed large over the fighting. Lasers and rockets continued to fly back and forth between the surviving Hapans and the Corellian forces. In comparison to the behemoth hovering above them, however, the ships that flitted and darted about looked absolutely puny and insignificant.

One second, it looked as if the surviving Hapans were going to hold their own against the numerically superior Corellians, escaping into hyperspace to warn the rest of the Consortium.

The next, any hope of escape, or even survival, disappeared. Firepower twice that of an Imperial-class Star Destroyer suddenly filled the void of space. The Hapans never stood a chance. A barrage of turbo lasers obliterated bravely piloted Miy'til and X-wing fighters. The torrential laser fire blazed through the Hapan squadrons, annihilating dozens at a time. Like popcorn in a pressure cooker, fighters disappeared in small puffs of fire and debris at a rapid rate, no matter where they tried to fly.

One of the surviving Nova-class battle cruisers lived up to its namesake, vanishing in a blinding ball of light after it was hammered by wave after wave of laser and missiles. The overwhelming firepower continued, blazing through space in a curtain of molten red energy that shredded anything in its path.

A second battle cruiser trying to maneuver out of the way, had its engines wrecked by several heavy rockets. Once it was dead in space, its fate was sealed. One laser barrage after another battered its already spent shields, and rippling explosions traversed the top of the once proud ship. One final blast ripped the ship into pieces, leaving behind a smoldering wreck and a trail of bodies and metal debris.

The remaining battle cruiser tried to do its part to buy the Battle Dragons time to retreat, but when another wave of missiles slammed into its bridge, it too was reduced to an unrecognizable ruin.

Realizing that escape was no longer an option, the two Battle Dragons and surviving fighters rallied and set themselves on collision courses with the Corellian dreadnaught. They opened up everything they had, green and red lasers streaking through space and splashing against the dreadnaught's shields.

"Weapons, finish them. We'll fish out any survivors later," Karathas called out as the ship rocked from the battery of enemy fire. "Break those dragons in half."

The dreadnaught and other Corellian vessels in support unleashed everything they had on the suicidal vessels. The first Battle Dragon was severed in two by a concentrated barrage, its two disc-like segments falling prey to a continued salvo until there was nothing left of the once proud ship. The remaining fighters quickly disappeared in blazes of light, and the lone Battle Dragon was ablaze, dead in space as its engines were blown out by other ships behind it.

"They're overloading their main reactor!"

"Pull the rest of the fleet back, all power to deflector shields."

Jysella and Valin rooted themselves in the Force, trying to calm themselves for the tidal wave of death they knew would soon follow. A split second later, the remaining Battle Dragon went up in a ball of bright light. The lives of the surviving crew, nearly eight-hundred in all, were snuffed out in a single instance. The explosion continued on, consuming the wreck of the Battle Dragon and any survivors that might have been aboard that ship as well.

"How many people on a Battle Dragon?" Valin asked the Ducha in a low voice.

"Fully-crewed? A thousand, four-hundred, and sixty-three," Zir-dan replied. "If you're worried about losses, it's the battle cruisers you should feel more regret for. In addition to their marine detachments, they have just shy of two-thousand people aboard. That's of course not counting the wing of fighters that was wiped out in this skirmish."

"So just like that, almost twenty-thousand lives are gone," Jysella said faintly, looking ill.

"More lives will be lost if they had escaped to tell the Queen Mother of their discovery. Think of their lives as sacrifices to avoid an even greater shedding of blood," Zir-dan said pragmatically. "Besides, didn't the Corellians lose several hundred people in this attack as well? Feel grief for them, for dying so far away from their homes for a cause they personally wouldn't have seen any benefit from. But that is the way this galaxy works, has always worked. Commit an act of smaller evil now, or an act of greater evil later. Bloodshed has been the only way this galaxy has seen change. It makes little sense that that would change now."

"Helm, the moment we've recovered out people and our damaged ships, set a course for the Terephon system. We do not want to be here when Hapan reinforcements arrive," Admiral Karathas ordered, none of the stress of the situation showing on her aged face. "Jedi Knight Horn, will your compatriots on Sapphire be joining us?"

Valin reached out with the Force to check. After a minute, he shook his head. "Alema is staying. Natua and her apprentice are traveling with Ducha Galney in her personal shuttle."

"Very well," Karathas said. "Ducha Gheer, will you be staying with us or returning to House Gheer's Divora system?"

"I'll be staying on," Zir-dan replied. "My House fleet is already awaiting me in the Terephon system so I'll join up with them once we arrive."

"That takes care of that then," Valin said. "We'll leave the bridge to you, Admiral."

"Understood."

"Do not worry, Corellians, Jedi. By the time the week is out, there will no longer be a need for intrigue. The Queen Mother will have either stepped down or been slain, and you will be rewarded for your loyalty to the true rulers of Hapes."

}-(Chapter End)-{

A\N: With this chapter, the Corellians are now caught up to the rest of the story plot time-wise. The next Corellian chapter, in scene 3, will occur chronologically with the rest of the chapters. Next chapter, tbp Tuesday, is Jacen and the Solo family reunion.

The brief mention of Exna and corresponding plotline is from fanfic author Hexterah's J/TK trilogy on her own website. Another character of Hexterah's will be appearing at a later chapter as well.

Leave a review if you'd like, I'm just doing this for fun.