Star Wars: Rebirth
Chapter 12 – The Plot
"Today we're going to teach you a bit about offensive Force techniques," Liina addressed the three younglings Gavin, Ferros and Xander. "And to make things extra difficult for you, Byz will be sparring with you at the same time."
Ferros and Xander grinned excitedly at each other while Gavin's expression drooped slightly, the boy's lack of confidence showing through very clearly. Byz placed several large stones on the ground in front of them, each weighing at least twice their bodyweight and as large as a footlocker.
"You'll notice we've set up a target behind us," Byz said, pointing at a specially reinforced ferrocrete wall in the courtyard with a circular scoring system painted on it. "The idea is that while sparring with me, you'll hurl a stone into the wall as accurately as you can. Obviously, the more accurate you are, the better you'll do. But be careful; I'll be taking it easy on you, but not that easy. Our sabers are set to low power, but they still hurt if you get hit."
"Who wants to go first?" Liina asked, to which Xander raised his hand immediately.
Runice smiled, already enjoying the more gentle and constructive methods the Jedi employed in their training. Quickly scanning the three younglings, she sensed quite a lot of pride in Xander, quiet confidence from Ferros, but utter bewilderment and doubt from Gavin. "Gavin, how about you go first?"
The young boy froze and stared at Runice in horror. "I-I think Xander's a good choice. He put his hand up and everything."
"Don't underestimate yourself, kid," she said with a smile, squatting down in front of him and putting her hands on his shoulders. "I can sense the strength in you. You doubt yourself needlessly. Just give it a go, we'll take it from there. You have nothing to worry about."
Liina smiled to herself, impressed with how Runice was so quickly adapting to the kindness and positive reinforcement the Jedi used for their training. She should have been with us from the start, she thought to herself. She could have been magnificent by now.
Gavin stepped forward, igniting his white saber as Byz stood at the ready with his yellow blade. "Whenever you're ready, Gav," Byz said.
Gavin began slashing away, using what Ashlyn had taught him of Shien form, as Byz defended effortlessly before going on the attack. Gavin began backing away, conceding ground until he reached the stone he was supposed to hurl at the wall. However, he diverted too much attention to it, allowing Byz to bat his saber away to the side and strike him on the wrist. Gavin yelped as Byz's saber shocked his wrist upon impact and the stone fell harmlessly to the ground with a loud thud.
"I told you Xander should have gone first. I'm useless at this," Gavin sulked, crossing his arms and turning away.
Runice approached him again, squatting down in front of him once more. "Hey, that's garbage. You're a Jedi, you're not useless at anything," she said comfortingly. "My old master told me I was too weak, he even tried to kill me because of it. But I escaped, and I came here." She stood up and took the boy's hands. "'Weak' is just a word, young one. It only means whatever meaning you give to it. Your mind is very powerful that way. If you believe you're gonna fail, then you've already lost. How did you know you would fail before you even tried it?"
Gavin looked up at her, trying to form the sentence before he spoke it. Runice shook her head.
"You see? You're doing it right now. You didn't know you'd fail, but you told yourself you would, so you failed. You think Xander would do any better if he thought he was going to fail before he even tried?"
Gavin shook his head, looking back down at the floor.
"You know what you need to do," Runice continued, pointing at the stone. "Know where the stone is, where the target is. Know what the stone is. Know where Byz is and what he's doing. Feel it all through the Force. You can sense it all right now, can't you?"
Gavin nodded again, looking back at Runice this time.
"So why is it any different when it's happening? Your senses can detect all of that already; you've got the ability to do it. All we're doing here is showing you that it's your mind that's in the way of your success," she tapped the boy's forehead as she spoke.
"Is that true, Master?" Ferros asked her. "We can already do that all that stuff?"
Runice grinned. "Of course it is. Everyone is part of the Force. Your bodies may constantly be growing, but so are your minds. That's why it's so difficult when you're younger. For the first part of your life, you grow accustomed to seeing the world the same way everyone else does. Unlearning that can be very daunting; it's difficult to believe. But if you begin to understand how the Force binds everything together – everything from inanimate objects like stones to living creatures and all the different bits that make them what they are – you can learn exactly how the Force can be used to affect those things. That's why a Force user can also do things like the Jedi Mind Trick – not just moving things around in the air. That's just the beginning," she grinned.
The three youngsters were enamoured by Runice's speech, thinking of the various possibilities of their abilities with the Force even as she was speaking. Gavin began to smile brightly as he started to understand the truth of the matter. "So as long as I know it can work, then I can do it?"
"It's not as simple as that," Runice explained, being careful not to inspire too much hope into them, lest they fail again and become more doubtful of themselves. "But yes, that's the basic gist of it. The Force has no limits."
"Let's try it again, Gavin," Liina said. "Whenever you're ready."
Byz dropped into Soresu guard as he waited for Gavin to strike. After a few moments of concentration, Gavin began swiping and slashing away, this time completely on the attack, making Byz concede the ground he had made in Gavin's last attempt. Even as he was attacking fearsomely, Liina's jaw dropped in disbelief as the huge stone was hurled at lightning speed straight into the centre of the target. All six Jedi present began applauding; Gavin was stoked. Grinning away, he started to cheer, then ran over and hugged Runice.
"You see? I knew you could do it, young one."
"Thanks, Master Arriah," he said, releasing his hug and looking up at the Twi'lek with utter happiness. "You're a really, really good teacher."
"Master Arriah," Runice laughed. "I like the sound of that."
As Xander and Ferros both had their turns under the guidance of Byz, Liina stood next to Runice and admired the talents of the three newest members of the Order.
"You're a natural, Runice," Liina smiled. "I wish you'd been with us from the start."
Runice sighed. "I just hope I can make up for all I've done wrong. If teaching these kids how to do it properly from the beginning is part of that, then I'll give it everything I've got."
Liina turned to face her, taking her hands in her own. "I can't speak for everyone else, but I don't want you to feel like you owe us anything." She stroked Runice's hands gently with her thumbs. "Deep down, I think you've always been a good person, trapped in a world that just happened to surround you with the wrong groups. If the Jedi can help you to be the kind of person you always should have been, then it's not just our responsibility, it's our honour." She leaned forward and gave Runice a tight hug. "It's my honour to know that you're with us now. I want you to know that."
A tear rolled down Runice's cheek as she took Liina's hands again. "Thanks, Liina. You're a really terrific girl, and I know we'll be great friends. I won't let anyone down, I promise you."
As Runice finished speaking, Kayla and Devin walked into the courtyard with happy expressions.
"Good to see you guys all getting along so well," Devin said. "Sorry to interrupt your class, Master Hriyek, but I'm afraid the War Council has been called, and they've asked us if Miss Arriah could come along with us."
Runice shrugged at Liina, who just smiled and said 'good luck'. The three of them then made their way to the Senate district together.
"Ah, the Jedi have arrived," Senator Golan smiled warmly. "And they've brought Miss Arriah along with them as requested." He approached Runice and greeted her politely with a peck on the cheek. "Thankyou for coming."
"Thankyou for having me, Senator," Runice smiled in return.
"Now, down to business," Chancellor Grennar said with a stern expression on his face. "I won't prance around the issue with typical senatorial garnish. As we said in our last meeting, we believe that the world of Ord Mantell is under very serious threat of invasion. The time has come for us to decide what actions we are to take."
"If I may ask," Devin spoke up, "where has this information come from?"
A senator at the opposite end of the table to where Kayla, Devin and Runice sat suddenly cleared his throat. "This information has come directly from Republic Intelligence stationed in and around Ord Mantell itself. We have reason to believe that the stunt they pulled before destroying our shipyards at Bilbringi was a ploy to convince us that there was no threat to the system."
"With all due respect, Senator Jarvis, are you not the representative of Ord Mantell?" Admiral Minvessen countered.
"I hardly think that matters, Admiral. Facts are facts."
"Oh but I think it does matter," Minvessen slightly raised his voice. "Why in the name of the Force would the Chiss possibly want to take Ord Mantell? It has no strategic value at all, it has very little in the way of resources, it's not a particularly ideal place to strike from-"
"I won't have this said of my home planet," Jarvis interrupted. "In fact, I dare say that you are verging on treason, Admiral Minvessen."
Minvessen threw his hands up in defeat. "Why do we bother having a War Council if all we're going to do is protect the economic interests of a bunch of senators? We've got all our fleets tied up defending worlds that, frankly, don't matter at all in these times. I mean, Commenor? Cato Neimoidia? Kothlis? Bothawui? All these planets are on the opposite side of the galaxy to where the Chiss are coming from. If they are invading us at all – which in itself is a strange thing for the Chiss to do – then their aim is obviously to take out the Core worlds and assume control of the entire Republic. How are they going to achieve that if their resources are tied up taking out planets like those? And more to the point, how are we going to defend if we don't even have a single fleet left that isn't being wasted guarding these other planets? We don't have enough ships, pilots or officers to put a fleet on every Republic world."
"No one is suggesting that we station a fleet on every Republic world, Admiral," Jarvis said calmly. "But it seems clear to me and everyone else here that Ord Mantell is the next target and must be defended appropriately. Would you leave us unprotected so the Chiss can assume control without struggle?"
Minvessen shook his head and laughed. "Why am I even here? I have no say in the use of my own Armed Forces at all. If you want me to resign from my post, you're going about it the right way."
"That won't be necessary, Admiral Minvessen," Grennar said authoritatively. "Senator Jarvis, I would advise you to speak with caution when addressing a member of this council. You are here as an advisor, and can be replaced. I for one disagree with you entirely, but as I am simply another voice on this council, I will proceed with diplomatic measures, as this council was first created to do."
"What would you advise, Miss Arriah?" Senator Golan asked calmly. "You were until recently a member of the CEDF, perhaps you can advise us of our enemy's plans?"
Runice cleared her throat nervously and her face began to flush. "Well, firstly, I can assure you that neither the Chiss nor the Sith have plans to go anywhere near Ord Mantell. As far as I'm aware, it was just a feint to draw you away from Bilbringi and nothing more. I'd be more worried about Borleias. That's where I was told would be the next target before I escaped the Sith's attempts on my life."
"Borleias?" Jarvis mocked. "Rubbish. Intelligence has produced no evidence to suggest that Borleias is under any threat at all. Ord Mantell is the only system currently under threat of invasion that isn't protected by its own fleet."
"This is a waste of my time," Minvessen said, getting up to leave.
"Sit down, Admiral. This council isn't over yet," Chancellor Grennar warned him.
"We have a defector from the Chiss Ascendancy in our presence and she has told us categorically that Borleias is the target, not Ord Mantell, and this Council still wants to waste time putting the last spare fleet in place there? Why bother having anyone in my position at all if it's just going to be senators bickering over who has the most to lose? You clearly don't need me, and I refuse to be the one to take the blame for this decision when Borleias is crushed by the Chiss. Because I assure you, that is what's going to happen. Does the name 'General Madine' mean nothing to you people? He was once a defector himself, and rose to become one of the greatest strategists the Republic has ever seen. This young girl has risked her life to bring us this information directly from the Chiss themselves, and you would choose to ignore her counsel completely and utterly, simply because you would rather protect your own world ahead of the Republic? You're selfish, Jarvis. Selfish and insane."
"The Jedi agree with Admiral Minvessen," Devin announced. "I don't know where or how Intelligence has gathered its evidence, but our very own defector has told us what to expect. I think it would be unwise not to take her counsel into consideration."
"She's a defector," Jarvis argued. "What makes you think they told her anything useful at all? Perhaps they told her what they wanted us to hear and then let her go. I can't trust a lying Chiss lackey over our own hard evidence."
"With all due respect, Senator," Runice said with a frown. "I'm no lackey. Secondly, they planned to kill me; they didn't let me go, I escaped. Thirdly, they are Sith. They don't tolerate weakness, and weak is exactly what they perceived me to be. They wouldn't change their plans just to thwart me, they don't consider me a threat-"
"I won't listen to this nonsense any longer," Jarvis interrupted. "We have hard evidence from our own Republic Intelligence, whom we can trust," he glared at Runice. "Let's put this to a vote and be done with it, so I can assure my people that the Republic hasn't abandoned them like Admiral Minvessen and the Jedi seem to be happy to do. And to be sure that they don't have any misgivings about the Jedi, may I suggest that they send a representative with the fleet to Ord Mantell? Perhaps our 'defector', Miss Arriah."
Minvessen looked across at Kayla, his face scrunched up in disbelief. Kayla shrugged in dismissal, not wishing to be angered by any of the proceedings.
"Hang on, you can't just send her to Ord Mantell like that. She's only just arrived! She doesn't even have any official standing with the Jedi yet! This is outrageous!" Minvessen's face was red and inflamed with anger.
"I think it's perfectly acceptable," came the voice of another Senator. "If she wishes to prove herself a valuable and reliable asset to the Republic, then she should make herself useful and assist with the coming invasion of Ord Mantell."
"But we don't even know that there's going to be an invasion of Ord Mantell! And this poor girl has come halfway across the galaxy, fleeing from the Sith Lords, fleeing for her life, and come to us for asylum. We're really suggesting that she should be made to earn the right to asylum by standing on the bridge of the Alderaanian, waiting for a non-existent attack?"
"We need to know we can trust her," Jarvis answered smugly.
"No offense intended, Senator Jarvis," Kayla said firmly, "but whether or not we can trust Miss Arriah has nothing at all to do with anyone but the Jedi. This is our business, and we would ask you kindly to mind your own. She's only here because Chancellor Grennar asked us if she could come along and provide some intelligence from the enemy's perspective."
"The Jedi serve the Republic, do they not?" Jarvis countered. "In which case, it is my business as a member of this Council. In fact, I propose that we have a Jedi stationed within every fleet."
"That's absurd," Minvessen argued, his face becoming redder and redder with each inflammatory comment. "We have more fleets than we do Jedi. We're lucky they're even here for us at all, the way you all carry on."
"Enough of this. Let's put it to a vote so we can see who's really in charge of this," Jarvis said with another smug grin, looking directly at Minvessen.
"Okay then, but I would urge you to consider caution, Senator. You are coming very close to being banned from this Council. And furthermore, I will pull rank here and personally reject your request to have Miss Arriah placed anywhere by anyone's authority. The Jedi are not yours to command, Senator. They do indeed serve the Republic, but they are independent of it nonetheless. They will make any and all calls on how they wish to serve. Consider yourself extremely lucky to have their assistance at all." Chancellor Grennar then addressed the entire Council. "Key in your votes now, then, on the issue of providing a fleet in defence of the planet Ord Mantell."
After a few moments all the votes were in. The Chancellor leaned forward in his chair to read the results, then leant back again to make the announcement. "Fifteen votes for, six votes against. Admiral, you'll need to inform the third fleet that they are to be stationed at the hyperlane junctions near Ord Mantell. Senator Jarvis, inform all aboard the Jubilee Wheel to be ready to evacuate to the surface and everyone planet-side to be prepared to leave at a moment's notice."
"You will need to find someone else to inform the third fleet, Chancellor," Minvessen stood and announced. "I've just resigned from my position as Commander of the Republic Armed Forces, effective immediately. The documents will be on your desk in the morning."
Grennar's face went almost white with shock. Kayla and Devin both looked at each other, exchanging knowing expressions. Neither were surprised at all.
"Uh, very well, Admiral. If that's what you want, of course. I don't suppose there is any way we can talk about this and come to some form of agreement?" Grennar asked.
"Not a chance, sir," Minvessen shook his head firmly. "I've been considering it for some time, this 'discussion' with Senator Jarvis was simply the last straw. I've made my decision."
"Very well…I guess I'll need to tell the third fleet myself then. Dismissed, everyone."
Kayla approached Minvessen as he was leaving and grabbed him by the arm, gently pulling him back in. She walked up to Grennar with Minvessen, with Devin and Runice in tow after everyone else had left.
"Yes, my dear," he said warmly. "What can I do for my favourite Jedi?"
"You can authorise trips to Borleias and Ansion," she answered.
"I was wondering when you were going to ask," he chuckled. "So who's going?"
"Well I thought I'd go to Ansion with Miss Arriah here," Devin said, "just to scope out their defences and see if we can formulate a plan to get them back."
"I'll take Jedi Valos to Borleias and see if we can help out the people there, and Jedi Tanski can scout out the surrounding hyperlanes," Kayla added.
"I'm guessing you have a plan for Jake then too, right?"
Minvessen looked at Kayla with a puzzled expression, his left eyebrow raised in confusion. "I was thinking that our current War Council seems insufficient to direct our military," Kayla explained. "Admiral Minvessen is perfectly capable of making decisions, but is being consistently thwarted – as he explained earlier – by the Senators and their constant misuse of the Navy. We don't have a single spare cruiser or squadron of fighters available if the Chiss attack. We haven't considered the possibility that we may actually be wrong."
"Unfortunately, this is a democracy," Grennar sighed. "While we have Senators representing the interests of the people, they will always be allowed to have their two creds on these issues."
"That's why our plan is to have the people of the Republic go over the Senators' heads," Kayla gave Grennar a sweet smile.
"What did you have in mind, Master Talus?"
"Admiral Minvessen and Jedi Hriyek can make a joint public holonet announcement explaining about the impending Chiss attack, and that we have no fleet left to counter it because they're all tied up. Basically, paraphrasing what Jake said earlier on. Then we have Jedi Hriyek speak on our behalf, saying that we support Admiral Minvessen and the proper use of the military etcetera, and the crowd goes wild."
"I see," Grennar said. "Then we force the issue of military command to the Senate, and give Jake his power back."
"Exactly," Devin smiled.
"Well, it's a good thing that I completely disagree with both Senator Jarvis and the policies of my predecessor, then isn't it? What are your thoughts, Admiral?"
Minvessen grinned, stroking his chin. "I think it just might work."
Jake and Liina arrived at the steps to the Senate Building at the pre-arranged time with moments to spare. Jake glanced at Liina, who had decided to wear black Jedi robes for the announcement. She smiled at him warmly and nodded, urging him towards the dais. A huge crowd of holonet news crews and the general public had gathered to hear the announcement, penned as a 'significant issue concerning the continuing security and welfare of the Republic'. Naturally, a lot of the crowd was made up of people who had something to do with the previous invasions of Adumar and Ansion, whether they had been moved from the planets directly or knew people who had. All were waiting in tense apprehension of the announcement being made by Jake, who Chancellor Grennar had managed to convince to stay on as Admiral at least until they knew whether their actions would have any benefit. He stepped up to the podium and eyed the crowd, forcing a serious expression to get himself in the proper mood.
"People of the Republic," he began. "As most of you will already be aware, Republic Intelligence and the Armed Forces have information that suggests the Chiss Expansionary Defence Force will soon be launching another attack on a Republic world. We cannot allow this to happen, naturally, and would do everything in our power to prevent it. Unfortunately, due to a requirement put in place by the previous Chancellor, the Armed Forces have had their hand forced by certain members of the Senate in the War Council. The vast majority of the Senate representatives on this council have voted to place our last remaining fleet in defence of Ord Mantell, which you will be aware has recently been host to a Chiss feint manoeuvre."
Minvessen quickly looked through the crowd, and saw that many were becoming very interested in his speech. Some had already begun to get angry at the news; exactly what he and Liina had hoped for.
"Several of us, the Jedi included, have reason to believe that Ord Mantell has no strategic value to the Chiss whatsoever. We are not saying that it is an unimportant world; far from it. Ord Mantell is a very important Republic world. But as commander-in-chief of the Republic Armed Forces, I can inform you all that the fleet that is being placed in protection of Ord Mantell is our last remaining fleet. We have no more ships, pilots, officers or soldiers left to defend anywhere else.
"Due to a bill that was passed by the previous Chancellor through the Senate, we are required to put all military concerns to a vote in the War Council, effectively rendering my position pointless. The reason I bring this information to the forefront here today is not just to pass the blame onto the Senators when the Chiss attack somewhere other than Ord Mantell. Of course, regardless of the Senators' decision on where to place the Republic's fleets, any mistakes made will be blamed on myself, as commander-in-chief, despite all decisions being subject to a majority vote.
"No, the reason I bring this information to you today is to highlight the mistakes of our former Chancellor, and to ask for your support – the very people we are trying to protect – in changing this law back to a more conventional and highly successful model employed by many of our predecessors. The military is a very serious organisation, and has a very serious obligation to protect the people of the Republic. Already we have lost the three great worlds of Ansion, Bilbringi and Adumar to the Chiss because our fleets were tied up defending planets such as Bothawui, Kothlis and Commenor to name but a few. I am not here to suggest that these planets are not important to us, I am only suggesting that the military needs to be used to protect our worlds, not to discourage aggressors from attacking, only for them to attack different worlds instead. With three planets already gone, we need to be proactive, not reactive, if we're going to stop the Chiss."
By now, the crowd had become almost rabid. Liina stretched her senses across them all, and found that the mood was very much in Jake's favour. Placards had been raised all over with slogans such as 'The Senate has no place in our military', and 'Down with greed'. Jake thanked the crowd, then turned to Liina and grinned widely.
"I think it's safe to say that our plan is working, Liina. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I think you should have been a politician with those public speaking skills," she teased, "or an activist."
"Let's just see how you do, first," Jake nudged her. "It's your turn, Jedi."
Liina waited for the crowd to settle a bit before she began speaking. The crowd was reacting exactly the way they had anticipated it would, and Chancellor Grennar had assured them that this was exactly the response needed to force a vote in the Senate. As spokesman for the Senator from Coruscant approached Liina and Jake suddenly, advising them that the situation was the same across nearly all the Core worlds and Colonies, and in just about every place that the holonet announcement was being shown. Crowds all over the galaxy had been formed on the steps of their government buildings to listen and protest.
"As a member and representative of the Jedi Order," Liina started, "I am here to publically show our support for Admiral Minvessen. As you may not be aware, we have recently had a member of the CEDF defect to our cause. She has risked life and limb to come among us and join our struggle, and has brought with her information that suggests that Ord Mantell is under no threat from the Chiss at all. Unfortunately, due to the very constraints we are here to highlight, we have been unable to act on this intelligence. So on behalf of the Republic Armed Forces and the Jedi Order, I would please ask you to protest peacefully and strongly for the ratification of our Military Control bill, before any more planets and people are left to the same fate that was forced on Ansion, Adumar and Bilbringi. The military should be controlled by the military, not the Senate. Thankyou so much for listening to us both here today, and may the Force be with you all."
