Authors Note: Alright, so I felt kind of bad for taking two and a half weeks to get the last chapter out, so I wanted to kind of even it out with this ones quicker release.

Super special thank,s as always, to my betas JonHarper and Sharnorasian Empire

Please feel free to review! I love getting questions and feedback from you people!

So without further adieu, here is Chapter 12

Enjoy

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but all original content is mine


Chapter 12: Preparation

Admiral Lasky's Private Quarters, UNSC Infinity, Kashyyyk Space

Captain Serin Osman stepped forward to withing two paces of Lasky's desk, snapped to rigid attention, and put her hand to the tip of her cover with practiced precision.

"Admiral Lasky, sir!"

The Admiral stood up from his chair, returned the salute, and sat back down, saying, "At ease Captain, please, take a seat."

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice Admiral." said Osman, noting that Lasky looked as calm and composed as ever.

Lasky dipped his head, "Of course Captain. Now, what do you have for me?"

Osman withdrew her datapad, tapped the screen a few times, then passed it across the desk to Lasky.

He picked it up and looked it over, before giving Osman a quizzical look.

"The Accuser?" he asked.

"The very one." replied Osman.

"You mean the ship that has done nothing but sit in the middle of our fleet immobile, eating up time and resources?" he said, the slight annoyance at the situation showing in his voice.

"Yes sir. I'm here because I believe I have a way to solve that problem." she said.

Lasky raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair. "I'm interested."

"If I may, Admiral." said Osman, gesturing towards the datapad.

Lasky nodded, and Osman picked up the object. After a few presses she brought up the recording of Commander Cracken debriefing the then Captain Eclipse.

Lasky watched, brows furrowed, and at the end of the video looked up at Osman.

"You know Captain, our Alliance friends wouldn't be very happy if they found out you were spying on their meetings."

Osman just shrugged. "I'm ONI Admiral, it's what we do. Besides, maybe they should have their meetings on their own ships, as opposed to the Infinity, which happens to be abound with accessible security cameras..."

Lasky looked like he could have rolled his eyes, and he said, "Why are you showing me this Serin?"

"Well Admiral, as you can see by looking at her file, Juno Eclipse is a very competent commander, if not more so. She has several successful missions and commendations under her belt, all within a remarkably short period of time. She is a smart, capable, daring, and loyal soldier, who would fight with all her heart against the Empire. I've done the research, and what she planned to do at Kashyyyk was what any UNSC officer worth their rank would do. She saw an opportunity to exploit her enemy's weakness, and she took it. The fact that the Alliance, who by the way didn't provide any support at all, could just throw her away like an unwanted toy when the mission failed is appalling to me. To let all that talent go to waste, it just doesn't make sense."

Lasky nodded. "I agree Captain. So, what are you suggesting?"

Osman leaned forward. "What I'm suggesting Admiral, is that we make Juno Eclipse the new captain of the Accuser."

Lasky put a hand to his face, rubbing the day-old stubble, eyes not looking anywhere in particular. He was silent for a moment, before looking at his watch.

He stood up, and motioned at Osman. "Walk with me. I have a meeting with Admiral Ackbar and General Rieekan, and I want you to attend."

The pair walked out the room and started making their way through the corridors and hallways of the Infinity.

They stepped inside one of the hovertrams running the length of the large ship, and with a jolt, it started moving.

"Serin, I've known you for too long to know that you wouldn't have solved one of my problems unless you wanted something in return, so you might as well say it." Lasky suddenly said.

Well, Osman thought, he saw right through that one.

"I want Starkiller." she stated.

The tram stopped, and the two got out, continuing their walk.

"Starkiller? Last time I checked he wasn't mine to give." replied Lasky.

"He will be Admiral. You may or may not have noticed, but Starkiller and Juno Eclipse are madly in love. Wherever she goes, he will follow, no matter what others think or say. I want Starkiller as part of Kilo-5."

Lasky was silent, pondering Osman's request. They reached the door that would lead into the meeting room, and Lasky pulled Osman aside, leaning in close.

"Listen carefully Serin. I am approving your request, for now. Approach Eclipse, and offer her the position. If what you say about Starkiller is true, you can place him on Kilo-5 with the rest of your team. Let it be known though, that I am not a fan of doing so, but if this is the only way to get some productivity out of the Accuser, than I assume it is my only choice. Come to think of it, Captain Eclipse would be an ideal choice for this. She's a former Imperial herself. She knows exactly what that crew is going through. To have a commander that can empathize with them can only help us.

Osman smiled, "My thoughts exactly sir."

Lasky continued on as if he hadn't heard her, "I want you to remember though, ONI is a branch of the UNSC, not a separate entity. You answer to me Captain, no secret shadow-ops without my sanction. Is that understood?"

Osman instantly replied. "Yes sir, of course."

Lasky stepped away, letting out a heavy sigh. "Come on, we have a planetary defense to plan."


UNSC Infinity Hangar Bay, Kashyyyk Space

Thel 'Vadam's hoofed feet hit the deck of the hangar with a solid thud, as he reached the bottom of the Phantom's gravity lift.

He turned to his second-in-command, shipmaster of the Assault Carrier Shadow of Intent, and long-time friend, R'tas 'Vadum, before saying "I am thankful that this meeting will be something normal. I would much rather help plan the defense of a planet than be lectured on mysticism."

R'tas, clad in the sleek silver of his spec-ops commander armor, opened his mandibles in a sign of humor. "On that we are of equal view. What do you make of this so-called Force?" he said, carefully enunciating the new word.

Thel sighed, before he responded, "Honestly brother, I do not know what to think."

And it was true. Ever since the two had been briefed on the existence of the Force, it had been extremely hard, for Thel at least, to get his mind around the concept. That there was some all-binding, invisible energy that gave strength and power only to those who could wield it was strange. The fact that it seemed none of his race possessed it, but the humans did, was a little... concerning.

"What I am most concerned with however, is the matter of how to fight this Force. Our way of the warrior has always been one of honor, courage, and prowess. However, if the video the Admiral showed us suggests anything, what is to stop those with the Force to simply swipe away those without it? What could our warriors do against such a power? How could they succeed?" said Thel, in a low, rumbling tone.

R'tas took a moment to reply, before laying a hand on Thel's shoulder, saying "I do not know the answers to the questions you ask, but I do know this. The Sangheili are a strong people, and we will not bow down so easily to those possessing this Force. We found a way to defeat the Parasite, how much worse could this be?"

Thel nodded. "Wise words, my friend. And you are right, the Sangheili will be strong, as we have always been, no matter the circumstances."

The pair saw a female Spartan in white and red armor walking towards them, helmet clipped to her belt, short brown hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Arbiter, Shipmaster 'Vadum, I'm glad to see you made it." she said, bowing her head in respect.

The two Sangheili returned the gesture, before Thel replied, "Commander Palmer, we are honored to be here."

"Always with the honor..." muttered Palmer, Thel's ears just barely picking it up. Most forgot that Sangheili have better hearing than one would expect, which resulted in the two Elites catching a lot of threats, curses, and other angry phrases directed towards them that they would not hear otherwise. Old feelings die hard, thought the Arbiter.

"Come on, the meeting room's this way." said Palmer, as she turned and walked towards a lift.

The three traveled through the Infinity for several minutes, the Arbiter's sharp eyes picking out the obvious signs of wariness from the human crew. A hate-filled glare here, a hand moved to the butt of a sidearm there. Thel was glad that Commander Palmer was with them, she seemed to have a calming enough effect on the crew.

They had just rounded the corner of a corridor when Thel's hearing picked up a strange sound. Cheering.

Palmer apparently heard it as well, and wondered aloud, "What the hell?"

They reached a large door with the words 'Boxing Ring' inscribed over it, and Palmer pressed a button, opening the door. It was there where they discovered the source of the noise.

It was a large room, the center dominated by a raised square-shaped platform, bordered by elastic ropes. Why it was called a ring, when it was obviously a square, puzzled Thel.

It was dark in the room, yet a single spotlight shone directly on the ring. Marines, Navy personnel, and even a few Spartans crowded around the platform, making bets, handing over credits, and shouting words of encouragement or spite at the middle of the room.

Despite being at the very back of the crowd, the height advantage he had allowed him to see almost level to the ring, and it wasn't until Thel's eyes adjusted to the dark when he discovered what all the ruckus was about.

Standing in one corner of the ring was none other than the man from the prison break footage, Starkiller, his name was, looking comfortable and relaxed, dressed in a simple tunic. Opposite him was a tall Spartan with a shaved head in his blue bodysuit, getting his shoulders rubbed by another Spartan, this one with dark skin and large lips.

The dark-skinned Spartan said something into the ear slapped the other Spartan on the back before pushing him into the middle of the ring. Starkiller walked forward slowly to the middle as well, and Thel could hear the din around him grow louder in anticipation.

The Sangheili looked down at Palmer to see her smirking

"This should be good. DeMarco is an excellent soldier, but sometimes he can get a little cocky. Let's see if Force-boy over here can teach him a lesson in humbleness, because it's about time somebody did," said Palmer.

Thel glanced over to R'tas, who just shrugged his shoulders, before returning his attention back to the platform.

A large man dressed in a black and white striped uniform (an official of some sort, Thel assumed) stepped forward into the middle of the ring with DeMarco and Starkiller before yelling, "Alright you two! Official MMA rules! No eye gouging, no groin kicks, I want a clean fight! Is that understood?"

The two participants shook their heads yes, and the official quickly got out of the way. There was a loud DING, and the fight began.

DeMarco took a typical combat stance, feet spread, knees bent, hands raised and started to slightly bounce on his toes.

Starkiller however, did no such thing, standing straight up, arms at his side. Thel couldn't tell from this angle, but it appeared as if the Jedi had his eyes closed as well.

His suspicions were confirmed when he heard someone yell, "What are you waiting for DeMarco! His eyes aren't even open!"

As if on cue, DeMarco lashed out with a powerful kick aimed at Starkiller's knee.

What happened next shocked everyone in the room, including Thel. The movements were so fast that he almost missed it, Starkiller deftly hopped over the kick, and while in the air delivered a kick to the head before he landed. He followed up with an open hand strike to the chest, followed by thrusting kick to the stomach that doubled over DeMarco and finished with a solid uppercut to DeMarco's chin.

Starkiller bounced on the balls of his feet, as if the energy inside his athletic frame were not enough to contain him. He moved light like a feather around DeMarco who stumbled and then stooped over, then he wobbled around for a second, before finally collapsing face first onto the mat, out cold.

There was a large outcry from the crowd, and the striped official kneeled down next to the prone Spartan, slapping at the mat. After five slaps, he got up, and in a very theatrical manner pointed off of the platform. The dark-skinned Spartan rushed out to his friend, rolled him over, and poured some water on his face. DeMarco came to, sputtering, and with the help of his friend, limped out of the arena.

Almost immediately after the two Spartans left, another challenger stepped into the ring, much to the praise and cheer of the crowd.

After a few seconds of examination, Thel's eyes widened when he realized who this new contender actually was, one of the original demons, the same kind as the Master Chief. The woman had shoulder-length brunette hair in a ponytail much like Palmer's, a muscular, yet graceful build, and blue-gray eyes showing the inner confidence of a seasoned veteran. There was an image of a rabbit on the left side of her black bodysuit, and Thel could instinctively tell that there was an enormous amount of power coiled up within her, waiting to be unleashed.

"Jesus, that's Kelly, one of the original Spartan-II's. Rumor has it she's the fastest human to ever live..." Thel heard Palmer say, admiration and respect showing in her voice.

The crowd started to chant, "UNSC! UNSC! UNSC!" and Kelly walked towards the middle of the ring.

Kelly pointed to the official, and then pointed out of the ring. He got the message, and quickly exited the arena, a low "Oooohhh" echoing throughout the crowd.

Without any hesitation, Kelly threw a left-handed chop at Starkiller's head, to which he quickly jumped back to avoid. Kelly pressed the offensive, chasing after Starkiller with a quick pair of kicks. The Jedi spun out of the way of both, before sweeping at Kelly's head in a horizontal strike.

The Spartan easily ducked, planted her back foot, and launched a powerful punch at her opponent's midsection. Starkiller barely got his hands down in time to block it, and was actually forced back on his feet, sliding a foot or so backwards.

Though so subtle Thel barely caught it, it was at that instant when Starkiller's demeanor changed. His eyes narrowed, his lips pursed, his forehead crinkled, and he took a more aggressive stance. He let loose a series of quick, powerful strikes at Kelly, which she blocked with her forearms. Kelly counterattacked, and soon even Thel had trouble following the fight. The next thirty seconds was just a blur of jabs, kicks, punches, blocks, ducks, and sidesteps, with neither participant seeming to gain an advantage.

Suddenly, Kelly grabbed both of Starkiller's hands in a perfect arm lock with one arm, and with her free hand propelled a strike that would have impacted with the bridge of Starkiller's nose.

That was, until, the punch stopped in mid-air, about an inch away from impacting.

The crowd went deathly silent, jaws agape, and both combatants were still for a moment, looking into each others eyes, Kelly's fist stopped mid-strike.

After a couple of seconds, Kelly stepped back, slowly lowered her fist and nodded at Starkiller. She extended a hand, which Starkiller shook, then casually walked off of the ring, as if nothing had even happened. She headed for the door that Thel, R'tas, and Palmer were standing near, the crowd parting for her like the Red Sea. Kelly didn't see Palmer until she was almost out the door, and she instinctively snapped to attention, yelling "Commander on Deck!"

The whole room snapped to, and Palmer said, "As you were."

Kelly shared a look with Palmer, and then continued out the door. The mood obviously destroyed, most of the crowd slowly and quietly filtered out of the various doors to the ring. Soon it was just the two Sangheili, Palmer, and Starkiller, who was putting on a utility belt, left in the room.

Thel glanced a gleaming silver cylinder hanging from Starkiller's belt that looked remarkably like a sword hilt. The Arbiters curiosity was instantly peaked. In Sangheili culture, being able to wield a sword was an immense privilege given only to the most skillful and honorable warriors. Thel wondered if it was the same for Starkiller. If so, he must be a fairly competent swordsman, he thought.

"Human!" Thel called out, his deep, booming voice filling the room.

Starkiller's head snapped around to the source of the call, finally seeing Thel.

"Yes?" he replied.

Thel walked forward, pointing towards the hilt on Starkiller's belt.

"What is that you have on your belt? That silver hilt?" asked the Arbiter.

Starkiller snapped the item off of his belt, looked at it, then said, "This, is a lightsaber. An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age..."

Then with a loud snap-hiss, Starkiller activated it, and the brilliant sapphire blue blade hummed to life.

Thel was mesmerized. "Amazing... what is the blade made of?"

"Pure plasma, suspended in a force containment field." said Starkiller. He spotted Thel's energy sword hilt on his hip, asking, "You have a sword as well?"

Thel removed the hilt from his hip and grasped it in his large hand, looking at it in reminiscence. This particular blade has been with him since he had first been deemed worthy to wield one, and it had saved his life countless times. "Yes. We call them energy swords, a noble and ancient weapon, wielded by the strongest of Sangheili. It requires great skill and bravery to use, and inspires fear in those who face its elegant plasma blade."

Starkiller nodded in understanding. "A lightsaber is much the same. One has to be well versed in the ways of the Force in order to first make, and then properly utilize one. May I see your blade?"

"I would, except for this condition. In my culture, it is of grave consequence to draw one's blade without reason." said Thel. "So, Starkiller, where others may have failed, I would like to try. I challenge you to a duel."

Starkiller was silent, then slowly nodded. "I accept."

Palmer piped up, "Arbiter, we don't have time for this, aren't you forgetting about a meeting you have to attend?"

Without turning around, Thel raised a hand, saying, "R'tas is more than capable of relaying any pertinent information along to me afterwards."

"He is right Commander, I will go in his place." said R'tas, gesturing towards Thel and Starkiller. "This, this is something that the Arbiter must do."

Palmer looked reluctant, but finally gave in, and her and R'tas left the room.

The door closed with a clang, leaving Thel and Starkiller alone in the room.

Thel depressed the activation mechanism for his sword, and the dual tines of plasma leapt out of the generation device into the magnetic containment fields.

Starkiller examined the blade from afar, before commenting, "That is a magnificently crafted blade."

The two slowly walked towards each other, the bright blue of their respective blades punctuating the quiet darkness of the arena.

"Let us not forget that we are allies in this fight against the Empire, but do not let that slow your blade, for I am fairly capable myself." said Thel.

Starkiller extended his lightsaber out in the space between the two, and gestured with his head towards it.

Thel got the hint, and raised his sword as well, crossing blades with Starkiller.

When the two weapons touched, a hail of sparks erupted from the contact point, and Thel felt some resistance through his blade from Starkiller's own saber. Interesting, he thought.

Thel quickly retracted his sword, and then lunged forwards in a stab at Starkiller's midsection.

The Jedi hopped back, bringing his saber down in a vertical sweep, catching Thel's blade and forcing it to the side.

The Sangheili took advantage of his redirected momentum, spinning his body around in a circle and turning his strike into a horizontal slash.

Starkiller then surprised Thel when he leapt over the Sangheili, causing his slash to miss entirely, and landed behind him.

The Arbiter rolled to the side, hearing the hum of the humans saber in the space where he just was, and came up with his sword raised.

The Jedi was on him as quick as lightning though, and after a couple of feints, swung down at Thel's head in a mighty two handed attack.

The Elite brought his sword up to counter the blow, and the two blades met in a series of crackles and sparks.

'Vadam could feel the vibrations from the impact reverberate through his arms, and the two stood there, each trying to unsuccessfully overpower the other

Starkiller took a deep breath through his nostrils, brow furrowing in concentration, and Thel began to notice that the human was beginning to force his blade down, albeit slowly.

This proved to Thel two things. One: despite the fact that he could only use one hand for his energy sword, Starkiller was still barely able to overpower his single arm with both of his. This meant, that theoretically, he was stronger than the Jedi, even with his Force powers. Two: Thel needed some way to exploit this advantage, and he knew just how to do it.

Reaching down to his hip with his free hand, Thel grasped his backup sword hilt, and activated it with a loud hiss. 'Vadam immediately used his second blade to reinforce his first, and now able to utilize the combined strength of both his arms, forced Starkiller to disengage with a mighty push.

The Jedi jumped back outside of striking distance, and Thel could see a full-blown grin on his opponents face.

Without even looking, Starkiller extended an arm to some unseen corner of the room, and Thel was amazed to find a second saber hilt fly into his open palm. The human activated the blade, this one blue as well, and then switched his grip so that the two sabers were facing backwards.

Thel pressed his mandibles together in a smile as well, and the two charged at each other.

What happened in the following minutes could only be described as art. The vibrant sapphire light of the pair's weapons cut brilliant patterns through the dimness of the room.

Strike and counterstrike, feint and lunge, swipe and jump, stab and roll.

Thel and Starkiller wove a pattern so intricate it couldn't have been choreographed better, two beings at the top of their form.

The Jedi found that even with the help of the Force, he was not physically stronger than the Sangheili, but he was more nimble. He changed his strategy to accommodate for this, launching numerous amounts of fast, quick strikes designed to keep Thel off balance.

The Arbiter, no novice himself, noticed Starkiller doing this, and calmly gave ground, parrying and dodging his strikes. However, when Thel's trained eyes noticed a mistake, an overextended arm, a foot too far back, he would launch into a perfectly timed counterattack of elegant and powerful blows that Starkiller had to quickly block.

The human switched one of his blades around to a normal grip, and brought it down in another vertical slash.

Thel was ready for it this time though, and instead of simple deflecting the saber, he caught it in between the tines of his energy sword. With a powerful twist of his wrist, Thel caused Starkiller's saber to go flying, deactivating itself in the air and clanging to the deck.

The Sangheili pressed the initiative, increasing both the speed and power of his attacks. Starkiller was forced back rapidly, frantically trying to manage both of Thel's swords with his single saber.

In a brilliant display of swordsmanship and accuracy, Starkiller sidestepped one of the Elite's downward slashes, and then thrust his saber not at Thel, but at the space between the tines of his backup blade. With a quick step and a simple arm movement, Thel was disarmed in the exact same way he had done before. Clever, thought the Arbiter.

'Vadam knew he needed to end this fight now before Starkiller began overpowering him with double-handed blows, so he decreased the distance between the two to barely a sword-length.

There was no room for error now, as both combatants looked for chinks in the others technique.

Thel happened to find one first, as after ducking a hasty horizontal sweep from Starkiller, kicked out at the Jedi's legs, causing him to come crashing to the ground.

Thel pounced on the downed human, and with a hyper-fast hit with his free hand, sent Starkiller's remaining lightsaber rocketing out of his grip.

'Vadam raised his remaining sword up high, and brought it down with as much power he could muster for the finishing strike... only to have his hand stopped in mid-air, much like what had happened to Kelly earlier.

Thel grunted, and found that either through his above-average strength, Starkiller's fatigue, or other reasons, that he was able keep bringing his blade down despite the invisible force, although only with much exertion.

So sudden, and so unexpected that Thel was caught completely off-guard, his sword was ripped from his hand like one would slap a dangerous object out of the hands of a hatchling.

Starkiller reached out a hand, and before he had time to blink he could feel the heat of the Jedi's saber inches away from his neck.

The human smiled, before saying, "Looks like I won."

Thel gave a low chuckle, "Indeed?" he said, gesturing towards Starkiller's chest, where the tip of his wrist-mounted energy cutlass was hovering just above his heart.

Starkiller lifted his head, and upon seeing it, gave a loud sigh let his head hit the deck again.

'Vadam got up off of the human, deactivating his cutlass, while Starkiller did the same with his saber.

Thel offered a three-fingered hand to the Jedi, which he took to help get up.

"You are an excellent swordsman. I would gladly fight alongside you any day." said Thel, bowing his head and laying his arm across his chest in respect.

Starkiller returned the gesture, saying "As are you, and it would be my honor."

The Arbiter walked over to retrieve his sword hilts, before he heard Starkiller ask, "It shames me that I do not know the name of so talented a warrior."

Thel turned, drawing himself up to his full height, for a name was of great importance to a Sangheili.

"I am Thel 'Vadam of the 'Vadam keep, Arbiter and servant to the Sangheili people. Most call me Arbiter, as it represents my official status, but you may call me Thel. You have earned the right to."

"I am known just as Starkiller, Jedi Knight. May I tell you something Thel?" the human replied.

'Vadam nodded his head.

"It felt...different, fighting you. In most beings I can feel the Force flowing within them, shaping and influencing them, but for you, that is not so. It is present within you, I can feel it, but it is such a small amount. When I used the Force to take your sword out of your hand, it took almost all of my strength to do it, much more than it should have taken."

"Are you suggesting that I have a sort of, resistance, to your Force?" asked Thel, puzzled.

"No, not just you." answered Starkiller. "I felt the same feeling within your friend as well. If it is alright with you, I would like to try something."

"Go ahead." said Thel.

Starkiller extended a hand at 'Vadam, and said, "What do you feel?"

To Thel, it felt as if he had been put into a Sangheili drop-pod, and the form-fitting gel was closing in around him. "A slight pressure, but not uncomfortable." the Elite replied.

"Amazing..." remarked Starkiller. "A normal being would be several meters in the air right now."

Inwardly, Thel was elated. Not that long ago he and R'tas had been troubled on how the Sangheili could fight an ethereal power such as the Force, but now it seemed their answer had come in the form of natural resistance. It seemed his ancestors were smiling upon him today.

Thel glanced towards the door. R'tas and Palmer had not come back yet, which meant that the meeting was still underway, which meant that he still had time to kill.

The Sangheili grasped the sword hilts in the palms of his hands and looked towards Starkiller, who had done the same with his lightsabers.

"Again?"


UNSC Infinity Conference Room, Kashyyyk Space

Lasky looked around the room at the large table, the names and positions of people popping into his head.

On the UNSC side there was him, General Mason, Colonel Tarkov, and Captain Osman. They were still waiting on Commander Palmer, Shipmaster 'Vadum, and the Arbiter to arrive. The holographic representations of both Roland and BB were on the table as well.

On the Alliance side, there was Mon Mothma, Admiral Ackbar, General Rieekan, General Rahm Kota and Commander Cracken.

However, there was one new member at the table, probably the most important as well in this situation.

Standing more than two meters tall, covered in dark brown fur, was the Wookie Chieftain Tarfful, the leader of the Wookies on Kashyyyk.

The door hissed open, and Palmer walked in, with R'tas following behind.

They took their seats, and Lasky asked, "Where is the Arbiter?"

"He got caught up. I will relay any information to him." said R'tas.

Lasky just nodded his head. "Alright, let's get started, shall we?"

"Now I've called all of you here today to talk about the defense of the planet Kashyyyk, not if, but when it is attacked by hostile forces." said Lasky. "Admiral Ackbar and I have already laid the foundation for the space defense, what which leaves only the planet side portion."

"Here is what I'm suggesting." Lasky continued, "Since the large majority of our ship-based Marine will not be needed during a space engagement, we should have them deploy and set up defenses on key strategic areas on the surface."

Lasky looked at Tarfful. "Chief Tafful, since this is your planet and you most likely have the best knowledge, where do you think these troop concentrations should be centered?"

Lasky, as well as everyone else present, was wearing an earpiece that acted as an instantaneous translator (kudos to Roland), so when Tarfful responded it was as if he was talking in English, albeit a bit synthesized.

"With all due respect Admiral, I would rather have none of your troops on our planet at all." said the large Wookie.

Lasky could see he was not the only one surprised by Tarfful's statement. Looking to the Alliance personnel Lasky could see that none seemed surprised by the Chief Wookies admission.

"Why is that?" asked the UNSC Admiral.

"For years the Empire has enslaved our species, killed hundreds of thousands, and we were able to do absolutely nothing about it. If it were not for your forces Admiral, we would still be in that situation. And while I am deeply thankful for your intervention, I cannot stand by idly while another faction takes control of Kashyyyk's affairs like it was their own, while casting us Wookies aside! We want control over what happens to our planet, and I think it is high time we deserve it."

General Mason piped up, saying, "But Chief Tarfful, you must understand that if we do not have a strong presence on the ground, it will be that much easier for the Imperials to defeat us. Because then they will take strategically vital positions, and we will have to take them back, as opposed to us having already fortified them."

"That is exactly the problem General. You may not remember, but it is fresh in our minds, the last group to have a strong ground presence on Kashyyyk was the Republic, which in the span of a fortnight became the Empire, and I will not allow that to happen again," said Tarfful.

Mason bristled in indignation. The Wookie cheif had basically accused the UNSC of being the Empire. Mason clearly didn't like the accusation and was starting to liven up now. "But how will you defend Kashyyyk without our help? You just don't have the numbers to do so! Like you said yourself, most of your people were just released from prison, and I assume that they were not kept in the best of condition. What soldiers you have left are suffering from ailments like malnutrition and dehydration, they would be in no position to participate in a large-scale conflict in the first place!"

Tarfful let out a low growl. "It is not wise to insult the strength of a Wookie, General."

Seeing that a conflict could very quickly erupt, General Kota stood up from his chair and yelled, "Enough!"

The occupants in the room which seemed on the brink of an all out argument went silent, and Kota looked from Mason to Tarfful in thoughtful consideration before saying, "I understand that there is some conflict over how to proceed, but if I may, I would like to say a few words."

Lasky sat back and observed the faces around him, in particular the Alliance personnel and even the Wookies. All seemed to regard the Jedi will looks of near reverence. It was then that Lasky remembered something. The Jedi had filled a role in the Republic acting as negotiators and mediators. Though each was competent and capable in the art of war, their true strength as outlined by Rolands report was creating peace.

Blessed are the peacemakers...

Lasky glanced at his own people and observed that each of them were studying the Jedi Master with looks ranging from thoughtful contemplation to calculating. Amazingly none seemed to view him with suspicion or hostility, despite many of their views on this 'Force'. When no one challenged him, the Jedi continued.

"During my recovery onboard the Infinity these past few days, I was granted access to the historical archives of our new allies. While their history is colorful, I have found great leaders who have led with compassion and hope. Traits that we all aspire to."

There was one man who captured my interest in particular, and I have been occupying myself with his words and teachings."

Kota held up a UNSC datapad that was showing the cover of a book.

"This is the biography of an Abraham Lincoln, a figurehead of some country on the planet Earth, where our UNSC allies originated from. This fellow Lincoln has had some previous experience with internal conflict, and he has a quote that I feel will help us all: A house divided against itself cannot stand.''

Putting the datapad down, Kota went on saying, "What we can't forget is that we are all allies in our fight against the Empire! What good is this arguing and squabbling going to get us if the real enemy is much larger, ready and willing to strike when we are divided?"

Kota slowly paced around the table as he took each of their faces in turn, "This battle promises to be one of the most, if not the most important yet for this young Rebellion. If we stand together here, victorious, the Empire, nor the people of the Galaxy, will be able to ignore what we have achieved, here, together!"

Kota continued his pacing and Lasky had to admit he had the complete undivided attention of the entire room, "But if we fail, we secede control of the Galaxy to tyranny. Not just for Kashyyyk, but for all worlds! For defeat here will lead to a grievous blow this Alliance may never recover from. To use another quote from our new Allies in the UNSC: We either hang together or we most assuredly will hang separately."

The Jedi stopped his pacing and turned to Tarfful. "Chief Tarfful, I can sense through your recent words, and your Force aura, that you fear the UNSC will become another Empire, taking over your birth-world for their own personal gain. But that is not the case. They have no love for the Empire. When they arrived in our galaxy though whatever freak accident happened, instead of a hand of kindness, the Empire extended a volley of turbolasers. The UNSC wants justice for the death of their people due to the wrongs of the Empire, and in reality, that is what the Alliance wants as well. Their leaders are smart, understanding, and care for the lives of its members and allies, isn't that right Admiral Lasky."

"Absolutely. You have my word that we will become nothing like the Empire. We recognize that it is your planet, and you have all of the rights to it. We just want to help keep it that way." said Lasky.

Kota then turned to Mason. "General Mason, you must also realize that Chief Tarfful has all the reason to be wary of the UNSC. Also, malnourished or not, you would be hard pressed to find a fiercer warrior than a Wookie defending his home."

Looking back at Tarfful, Kota said, "That being said, General Mason has brought up some very valid points. If the Empire comes, which we all know they will, they will likely come en mass. Ships will get through our space defenses, and troops will land on the surface. The support that the UNSC, Separatists, and Alliance could lend to your troops would be invaluable. Like Admiral Lasky said, there is nothing more they want than for the Wookies to have control of their planet, they just want to help you keep it."

Tarfful was silent for a moment, before he slowly started to nod his head.

"Your words are wise, General Rahm Kota. You are a true testament to the greatness of the Jedi. Forgive my wounded pride. It has always been the hope of the Wookie people that we could fee ourselves from the tyranny of the Empire and keep our world safe. I now realize that the Wookies will need any aid they can receive in this upcoming fight if we are to survive and remain free. So for now, I will allow the deployment of troops to the surface of our planet. I must stress this one condition though: the defense of our cities and towns will fall to us."

Lasky looked towards Mason. "General? Are you alright with this."

Mason nodded as well. "Yes I am. And Chief Tarfful, I am sorry if I insulted you or your species in any way, it was not my intention."

The meeting continued for about another hour, with the result being a coordinated defense that would be very difficult for the Imperials to crack, at least that is what Lasky hoped.

While members were filing out, Lasky made sure to catch General Kota to ask him a question.

"General, I was impressed with your speech back there. Where did you learn to negotiate?"

Kota simply smiled at Lasky saying, "Well Admiral, before the Jedi were forced to take up arms in the war that led to the Empire, and the fight against it now, we served as the Galaxy's peacekeepers. Many a conflict before has been stopped because of the wise words of a Jedi, and many will be after, at least, that is what I hope. Thank you for the reading suggestion by the way, but I must be going now. Starkiller has been pestering me to get some saber training in."

It confirmed everything Lasky already knew. Seeing the General walk down the corridor, Lasky couldn't help but wonder how differently the Covenant War could have been if the UNSC had a hundred Jedi like Kota or Starkiller.

But that didn't matter now, what had happened, happened. What mattered now was one thing:

Preparation.


I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!

On a side note, whenever I'm writing these chapter I often listen to a playlist of music from the Halo and Star Wars franchises, so if you have a favorite song from either you think I should check out, feel free to suggest it!

P.S. Yoda will be back next chapter, so be sure to stay tuned!