CHAPTER TEN
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Galactic Alliance Star Destroyer Admiral Ackbar
In orbit above Eriadu
One by one, the X-wings of Jaina Solo's squadron disgorged from the hanger of the Admiral Ackbar, angling their trajectory away from the giant triangular vessel.
"Alright squad, this is Leader," Jaina declared over the com. "Everybody manage to launch okay?" A series of eleven simple clicks over the radio indicated that everyone was just fine. "Alright then. As you know, we're simply flying to our new capital ship, but keep an eye out for any enemy patrols. We still don't know a great deal about the Kilrathi, so for all we know, they might decide to make a play for this system again. Just remember, we have apparently managed to capture an enemy vessel, so don't go jumping the gun, okay?"
"We get it, Leader," came the sarcastic response of the Cerean woman, Kari. "You don't need to treat us like infants."
"You watch your mouth there, Kari," Anja Gallandro warned. This was punctuated by a brief but sharp growl as Lowbacca vocalised his agreement.
"Enough!" Jaina ordered. "I won't have my squad blowing each other out of the sky. Let's just get to the Dragon's Claw and get settled in to our new digs." With that, she shut off the com, so as not to hear any more squabbling from her crew.
It's like being a kindergarten teacher, isn't it? Zekk's voice floated into her mind over the Force. Jaina simply sighed and sent back a tacit agreement. She had heard stories of her parents and their friends assuming control of squadrons in space or on the ground, but they had not exactly emphasised any of the negative aspects that she was going through now. Most of her squad seemed to respect her, but every now and then, there was one that stirred things up.
Pushing these thoughts out of her head, she flicked the com back on and broadcast to the other Star Destroyer, which was gradually growing larger in her front viewport. "Dragon's Claw, this is Jedi Knight Jaina Solo, requesting permission for my squad to dock." After that she sat back, and waited for the response.
"Attention Jedi Solo, this is Dragon's Claw," came the response a few seconds later. "I'm sorry, but you do not have permission to dock. Over."
Jaina's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she keyed the com back on. "What's the deal, Dragon's Claw?" she demanded, dropping any formality that she originally had. "We received orders to rendesvous with you in this system and dock for a special mission. Check with General Antilles if you need to be reminded." She keyed off again, and sat back with a huff.
Her response came back less than two seconds later. "Jedi Solo, you were indeed requested to meet up with us here. However, you were not meant to dock onboard our ship. Your orders were to transfer over to the Ras Nik'hra."
"The Ras Nik'hra?" Jaina echoed. "That sounds like a Kilrathi name."
"Correct, that is the name of the Kilrathi Fralthi-class cruiser that is presently docked off our port side. Your orders are to dock there and wait to receive orders from General Antilles." The voice of the operator displayed no sense of smugness or anything; he seemed to be simply stating the truth.
Sighing, she responded. "Thank you, Dragon's Claw. We are on our way. Jedi Solo, out."
Switching her frequency back to her squadrons', Jaina relayed their orders. "Okay, it looks like were not docking on the Star Destroyer, people. We're landing on the Kilrathi cruiser."
"Are they serious?" Raynar exclaimed. His comment was punctuated by similar cries of disbelief from some of the other pilots.
"Look, I'm just following their orders, okay?" Jaina said, raising her voice a little, just so she could head off whatever objections they might have. "Let's just land on the damn thing and then see what happens." She heard her pilots grudgingly agree, and she shut off the com one last time. Then she absently rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, as if that would ease the stress that was already starting to creep up on her.
Isn't this the part where someone says 'I have a bad feeling about this'? Zekk's mental question flitted into her head.
Usually, yeah, Jaina replied. Let's just hope it's completely unfounded this time.
Fortunately, in this instance, those fears were completely unfounded, for all twelve of the pilots landed their X-wings without a hitch.
Taking off her flight helmet and gloves, Jaina shook out her shoulder length brown hair, stood up in her seat, and then climbed down from the cockpit. Once she had her feet on the ground, she looked around at her surroundings.
Like her father and uncle, Jaina possessed a natural aptitude for flying, and as a result, finding herself in the hangers of bases and capital ships were by no means new to her. She had spent a lot of time in them during the Yuuzhan Vong War, but very rarely had she ever had the opportunity to set foot in an enemy one, and the differences between them were noticeable.
Hangers on vessels like the Admiral Ackbar definitely felt like hangers, but even in those ones, there was a certain semblance of order. Here on the Ras Nik'hra, there was very little order at all. The Dralthi fighters, Krant bombers, and even a few of a design that Jaina recognised as being called Salthi light fighters, were positioned in a way that made some of them relatively easy to get into and launch, but virtually every other was blocked in. Added to that was tons of crates and boxes stacked everywhere, surfaces that looked like that had never been cleaned, and power systems that looked like they had been jury-rigged, and were probably expected to fail at any given moment.
The rest of Jaina's squadron gathered near her, and they too were appraising the condition of the hanger.
"Man, what a dump!" said Rigel.
"I'm surprised this thing can hold together, must less fight," Hammer put in.
"How exactly did we manage to get a hold of this thing again?" Alema asked.
Jaina managed to tune out the chattering of the rest of her squad, and she noticed a single figure making its way towards them. Upon meeting her eyes, the person smiled, and Jaina felt a grin forming on her face as well. After all, there was no way that she could mistake the identity of her twin brother.
Jacen Solo came up to them, and his arms immediately went around his sister, squeezing her tightly. "Hey sis, I've missed you lately," he said.
Jaina gave a chuckle as she returned the hug. "I've missed you too, bro." Their current duties had taken them to different parts of the galaxy, but even such distances were little to temper the strong bond they had between them. Being twins, Jaina and Jacen were as close as a pair of siblings could be. After they had lost their younger brother Anakin, they had made a promise that they would never give up on each other, and that they would always find the time for each other, and for their family.
After letting go of his twin, Jacen also exchanged warm greetings with Zekk, Lowbacca, Raynar and Anja. The rest of the squad were unknown to him, so they stood back. Alema, being the kind of flirt that she was, also tried to 'welcome' Jacen, but a deathly glare from Jaina was more than enough to shoot that plan down.
Once the greetings were all out of the way, Jacen addressed the group. "Now, I understand that you must have a lot of questions right now. After all, it's not every day that you get an enemy vessel handed to you on a silver platter."
"Not by a long shot," Zekk agreed. "How exactly did you get a hold of this ship? It may be a dump, but I'm not seeing any dings, dents or scratches on it. In fact, I see no damage of any kind!"
"I'll explain on the way," Jacen responded. "If it's alright with you, General Antilles has requested that your squadron settle in, while you are informed of the situation directly." He directed this comment at his sister.
"They actually expect us to sleep here?" Jaina asked. "We don't even know how the Kilrathi sleep, and they want us to sleep in their beds? How do we know I won't get fleas?!"
Jacen managed to suppress a chuckle before answering. "Uh no, we have actually managed to bring some of our bunks over here. Just follow the signs and you will get there. I assure you, everything had been set up for your comfort."
After considering it for a few seconds, Jaina nodded. "Okay then." She turned to Zekk and Lowbacca. "Can you two take care of the rest of the squad for me?"
The two males immediately nodded. "No problem," said Zekk, and Lowie grunted his own affirmative. Jaina handed the Wookiee her own pack and they parted ways.
While the rest of the squadron followed the signs to the makeshift barracks, the Solo twins headed in a direction that Jaina figured led to the bridge. Her impressions of the hanger had given her a vague idea as to what she could expect from the rest of the ship's design and architecture, and it did not fail in this regard. It was as if the designer had not completely thought it through before construction had started.
"So how exactly did you capture this ship?" Jaina asked her brother.
"We didn't," Jacen replied simply. "It was given to us as a token of sincerity by a Kilrathi noble who defected to our side."
"A Kilrathi defector?" Jaina was confused. From her experiences with the Kilrathi, it seemed highly unlikely that any of them would even consider defecting.
"Hey, during the last war, we didn't expect any Yuuzhan Vong to defect," Jacen pointed out.
"True," Jaina admitted. "In fact, one of the new pilots in my squadron is a Yuuzhan Vong."
"I never thought I would live to see the day when one of those guys would willingly use mechanical devices, let along fly an X-wing," Jacen said as he shook his head.
"Me neither," Jaina admitted. "And this guy says that he knew Anakin."
This brought Jacen up short. "Seriously? What's his name?"
"Vua Rapuung."
"Vua Rapuung…" Jacen murmered the name softly, as if it would help him recall the fleeting memory that he was searching for. "I think I do remember him. Apparently, he helped Anakin and Tahiri escape from Yuuzhan Vong custody, and later he was one of the first to defect. If I remember correctly, he also performed amazingly at the final battle at Coruscant." His eyebrows went up. "And now he's an X-wing pilot, huh? Well, we need all the pilots we can get right now." He resumed his pace.
"I agree," Jaina said, nodding, "and he's proven to be one of the best. Anyway, what's the reason we got called here? We didn't get a great deal of news out there, but the Kilrathi have been rather quiet. I assume that something serious is going down in this area of the galaxy. Something big." As she finished this sentence, the two of them got on the lift that led to what Jaina presumed was the command bridge. In keeping with the design of Kilrathi ships, the lift was not closed in and had no guardrails.
"You assume correctly, sis," Jacen said as the lift began its ascent. "We have been monitoring enemy movements in this and neighbouring areas, and they have been congregating on Naboo. The Kilrathi defector, Lord Hhallas, has informed us of an upcoming event that is being held on it."
"And you actually take his word on it?" Jaina inquired suspiciously as the lift finished its trip and the two of them stepped off.
"I'll admit, I'm a bit wary myself, but if what he says is true, then we have pretty much no choice than to listen to him. Millions of lives are at stake." Jacen delivered the last sentence with a grim finality about it that was enough to give Jaina pause. At that moment, the twins stepped through the doors into the command bridge of the Ras Nik'hra, receiving brief nods from the guards on either side of the door.
The bridge was roughly the same size as one might expect on a Nebulon-B or Assault Frigate; both of which were commonly used by the Rebellion during the Galactic Civil War. But the Fralthi cruiser's bridge looked much more militaristic in nature, and conformed to the kind of twisted art and architecture that had since become associated with the Kilrathi. However, it still displayed the usual terminals and holographic displays.
At the main display in the middle of the bridge right now were several individuals that Jaina knew very well, and her heart was lifted at seeing them again for the first time in many months. Her parents were there; her mother Leia, still looking as beautiful and confident as always, and her father Han, still with his cocky swagger and attitude. Behind them, as if standing guard, was Lupwaroo, the son of Chewbacca who nonetheless was a cherished and beloved family member. Standing off to the side, looking somewhat left out but at the same time appearing to constantly be observing and analysing his surroundings was Em-Teedee. Jaina smiled at the sight of her family.
Han and Leia appeared to be in animated converstation with two other people on the other side of the holo display. One was Wedge Antilles, another person whose close relationship to the Solo clan made him practically family.
The other person was one Jaina did not recognise. He stood over the others, except maybe Lumpwaroo, by several inches, and his leonine features, particularly his paws with a thumb and three fingers, clearly denoted him as a member of the Kilrathi species. The enemy. Though her common sense urged her not to do so, Jaina found her fingers edging ever so slightly closer to the lightsaber hanging at her waist.
Jacen noticed this, and he gently grabbed her hand, pulling it away from her weapon. "Relax, Jaina," he whispered. "That's the defector. He's on our side now."
Jaina opened her mouth to respond. The one she was most tempted to use was I'd like to believe that, but instead, she settled for a simple "Sorry."
Her brother nodded and released her hand. As they got closer to the group, the words that were being exchanged started to get clearer, though once Jaina's presence was known, this halted immediately, and Han and Leia stepped forward to embrace their daughter. Afterwards, Lumpy came forward and, in true Wookiee fashion, swept her up in a huge hug, her laughs muffled against his hairy chest.
Em-Teedee cluttered forward on his metal feet. "I must say, Mistress Jaina, it is indeed a pleasure to see you," he exuded. "How might my former master Lowbacca be?"
"He's doing fine, Em-Teedee," Jaina answered with a smile. "In fact, he's on this ship, and you should be able to see him later on."
"Ah," Em-Teedee said, "that would be most pleasant."
Jaina gave the droid another grin before turning to receive another warm welcome from Wedge. With the introductions out of the way, he turned towards the Kilrathi noble who had stood politely and patiently off to the side.
"Jaina, I would like you to meet our newest ally; Lord Ralgha nar Hhallas. He has recently announced his intention to defect to the Galactic Alliance, and was even kind enough to turn over command of this vessel, the Ras Nik'hra. Lord Ralgha, this Jaina Solo; Jedi Knight and daughter of my good friends here." He gestured over his shoulder to Han and Leia.
Ralgha bowed deeply. "Knight Jaina nar Solo. I am honoured to meet you."
Jaina nodded. "The honour is mine, Lord Ralgha. But I must ask, what is that 'nar' word you used in my name?"
Ralgha brought himself up to his full height. "Forgive me, it is something that we Kilrathi use in our own names. It combines our given title with that of our clan. In your toungue, 'nar' would literally mean 'of the clan'. For example, I am Ralgha of the clan Hhallas."
"You didn't use that when we first started talking," Wedge pointed out, slightly confused.
Ralgha turned to him, a grin evident on his feline features. "That is because I was unaware of how you used your names. Your name, for example, would have been Wedge of the Antilles clan, or perhaps Antilles of the Wedge clan. Now that I know, I choose to begin using the common Kilrathi practice."
Jaina did her best to stifle a chuckle. "Thank you very much, Lord Ralgha, but I, for one, am not very big on formal titles. I would prefer it if you just called me Jaina."
"I'd prefer a more casual attitude too," Han murmured just loud enough so that everybody could hear. "All the formality reminds me too much of the Noghri calling me Han clan Solo."
Ignoring him, Ralgha nodded. "Very well, Jaina, I will honour your request."
Jaina gave her own nod and smiled. She then stepped back to allow the older people to continue with their plans.
"As we were discussing," Wedge continued, "our scouts and spy craft that we have inserted into the area around the Naboo system have confirmed that there is indeed a mass build-up of Kilrathi forces, which means it is highly likely that this Sivar-Eshrad thing that you mentioned is indeed going to be underway relatively soon."
Sivar-Eshrad? Jaina whispered to Jacen over their private mental bond.
Let's just say it's some kind of ceremonial massacre that the Kilrathi hold every year, Jacen answered rather simply.
Oh, Jaina whispered back, her tone indicating that she was more than a little shocked and horrified.
"Needless to say, now that we know about this, we have to do something about it," Wedge continued uninterrupted.
"We're not just leaving Naboo to its fate," Leia declared with a note of finality in her voice. "It may be my mother's home planet, but that's not the only reason why we need to stop this ceremony. Naboo is home to some six hundred million Humans and Gungans. We have already lost so many people in this war, but that will be practically nothing compared to what would happen if all those people get slaughtered."
"I admire your determination, Leia," Ralgha said, using her informal title since she had given him permission to do so. "However, as I have stated, at no point in our history since the Sivar-Eshrad's inception has it ever been disrupted."
"But the Kilrathi have never faced an enemy like us before," Han pointed out.
"Perhaps," Ralgha continued. "But even then, we still do not know the size and composition of the force that my people have sent to Naboo. Nor do we know how organised they will be."
"With all due respect," Han said, a touch of sarcasm in his voice, "but a massacre of an entire planet's population is not exactly something that requires a great deal of organisation."
"Not a great deal, no," Ralgha conceded. "However, there must be some degree of it, if for no other reason than for the Emperor and his closest aides to retain control."
"So, will the Emperor himself be there?" Leia asked.
Ralgha shook his large head. "No. In fact, he hardly ever ventures outside of the Imperial palace on Kilrah. But, as tradition demands it, he will still have someone there to represent him, most likely a close blood relative."
"Like a son?"
"Perhaps, but I doubt it. The Emperor sired two sons, but only one is still alive. His name is Gilkarg, and he is a Kalralahr, a supreme commander of the Imperial fleet. I do not know what he is up to at the moment, but he is probably the least of your concerns. No, apart from the Emperor, there is one other individual whom you should be very careful of." Ralgha pressed a few buttons on the panel, and one of the holographic displays lit up, displaying the face of a Kilrathi.
Those of other species tended to view Kilrathi as being visually similar to the point of being identical. The one on the display, however, seemed like the kind to stand out. He wore several metal adornments on his face; ones that suggested royalty of some kind. His fangs were bared in an evil grin, and his eyes seemed to glow with pure malevolence.
"Another of the Emperor's relatives?" Wedge asked.
"His grandson, Gilkarg's son, Thrakhath nar Kiranka," Ralgha answered. "Many Kilrathi are bloodthirsty and violent, but he makes many of us look rather civilised. I have reason to believe that Thrakhath himself will be hosting the Sivar-Eshrad on Naboo."
Han gave a visible shudder. "I haven't even met the guy, and he scares the hell out of me."
"Regardless of whatever feelings we may have, I actually believe that this provides us with a unique opportunity," Ralgha stated.
All eyes were suddenly on the Kilrathi noble. "How, exactly?" Jacen asked.
"The Emperor thinks very highly of Thrakhath, and there is little doubt that he favours him over Gilkarg. As a result, Thrakhath holds a lot of influence, particularly in the Imperial Palace. All things considered, he is perhaps the second most powerful individual in the Empire, and to host an event such as the Sivar-Eshrad is indeed a great honour. If such an event were to proceed smoothly, then it would certainly raise Thrakhath's standing throughout the Empire."
Wedge caught on to what Ralgha was saying. "But if things were to go wrong, then it could seriously damage his reputation."
"Exactly," the Kilrathi noble confirmed.
"Then this is definitely an opportunity that we cannot pass up."
It was here that Han interjected. "Look, this all seems well and good in theory, but I think we're all forgetting the problems ahead of us. Okay, we know how important this ceremony is, and we know that it is being held on Naboo. But the Kilrathi probably have the entire planet surrounded by now. In which case, there's no way for us to get past them."
Jaina had been quiet up to this point, but now she spoke up. "Actually, I think I have an idea." Here, everyone turned to her. "We don't know exactly what the Kilrathi are throwing at Naboo, so I believe some sort of scouting mission is in order. And I don't mean just some sort of probing done from the edge of the system; no, we need someone to get up and close to the enemy and try to find out what they've got in full detail."
"Sounds kind of suicidal," Jacen murmured from his sister's side.
"True," Jaina admitted. "Which is why we shouldn't use any of our craft."
This elicited a feeling of counfusion from everybody who was listening to her. "What exactly do you mean?" Wedge asked.
"Simple. We fly some of their craft." The confusion from everyone else suddenly became more pronounced.
"You mean… you would fly a Dralthi into the midst of a Kilrathi fleet?" Ralgha asked, clearly shocked. "Or even a Krant or Salthi? I mean no offense, Knight Jaina, but surely you must be joking."
"Oh, she's not joking," Wedge put in, his arms crossed over his chest. "Jaina's a natual pilot, and she also has a history of flying captured enemy craft. She even flew a Yuuzhan Vong ship in the last war. That's where she got the reputation of being the Trickster Goddess."
"This is the only chance we really have," Jaina pointed out. "We need to know exactly what is going on with the enemy forces, and in order to do that, we need information from up close. But if we fly an X-wing or any of our ships, they'll blow us out of the sky on sight. If we go in with their ships, then we'd be able to blend in, and they will be none the wiser. Besides, you've got an entire hanger full of Kilrathi fighters, so why not use them?"
Ralgha paused for a moment, as if considering his options. The young Jedi woman had made a valid point. "I suppose that you will be one of the pilots to fly those missions?" he asked.
Drawing herself up to her full height, Jaina looked the Kilrathi dead in the eye. "Yes, I am. If anybody can learn to fly those craft specifically for this mission, then it's me." Behind her, Jaina could sense the pride radiating from her family, and secretly she basked in it.
Ralgha nar Hhallas let out a soft breath. "Very well, then," he said. "There is no time to waste."
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