Chapter Twenty-Five: An Old Enemy, a New Friend
It soon became obvious that Tobin was simply…in the way. He knew that he was the leader—the catalyst of everything happening. But he was not an engineer or a technician, at least not formally. He could repair a ship with the best of them, but with so many professionals handling the details, he realized his best course of action was to simply get out of their way.
And so he returned to Sestia with Aaris at his side, and discovered to his delight that Sula Santari and the rest of the colonists had built him a home. Not just a home, but what by the standards of the colony was a palatial manor on the edge of the plateau overlooking the tidal plains below.
The home featured a large office with a sophisticated communications suite purchased by Afton Shief on the Rings for this very reason.
After thanking the colonists for the gift, he immediately set to work.
The Sestia Shipping Line was a fact, at least in so far as the Empire was concerned. The office on Coruscant was established and the lease paid for a year in advance. There were even inquiries starting to come in regarding fees and duties.
He made a long conference call with his barrister, Amarooni Andal, regarding fees and services. He had six transport ships, but wished to only dedicate four of them to the line. He couldn't risk using the massive slave transport since it was an obvious target and would alert authorities.
After sending out inquiries among his inner circle, he was surprised when Vilmarn Frark of all people shot back an instant response giving detailed expense reports from the Fool's Prize. Tobin stared at the name of the ship for a moment, trying to remember which one in his growing fleet it was, until he remembered. And when he remembered, he almost kicked himself for forgetting. How could he forget?
He had to stand and leave the office for a moment to calm himself. Aaris was with Shindo and his wife for the day, but called on the com. "Master, you okay?" the boy asked.
He felt Tobin's surge of emotion from across the colony. "Fine, Aaris. What are you doing to day?"
The boy sighed. "School. Mama Soola has started a school with two other teachers. I feel kind of stupid—most of the other kids got imprinted. But Mama Soola says I'm doing good all things considered."
"You want to know a secret, Aaris?"
"Sure."
"I was never imprinted either. Force-strong children don't accept the imprinting process well. So don't worry—you'll catch up and do fine. Please let Mama Soola know I will be training you tomorrow."
"Okay. See you, master."
"Be well, Aaris."
Tobin wondered if taking a more Jedi-like approach with Aaris was proper. Though his own training at the hands of the Sith was harsh and unforgiving, he just did not want to torture the boy. Not like that.
He dismissed the confusion about what to do and got back to work.
By the end of the day, he had appointed Vilmarn as the manager of the shipping line. While Silmari was a ruthless tactician in battle, her normally docile husband was an acute and ruthless business man. In the days to come he would set up an established Core trading route with the four transports using captains and crews taken from the Ulician colony and Kenth's people from the Temple on the Rings.
Within a month he would actually hire on five more captains who were willing to give up their independence for a steady paycheck and guaranteed routes that only an established, licensed shipping firm could provide.
Tobin leaned back after working all day and stepped out onto the pre-fab porch. The sun was already setting over the distant Western range, throwing the tidal plain at the base of the plateau below into a mottled platform of orange and yellow light.
This world was a true gift of the Force. He wanted so very much to share it with Klinti that for one brief moment he turned to say something to her, before the moment passed. The brief smile faded and he turned to look back out onto the plain.
He felt Sor'ai Soonta's presence well before she cleared her throat. He turned and saw future captain of the Destiny standing in his living room nervously, holding a tray. "I thought you might be hungry," she said with a nervous smile.
With the smell of food came realization that he had not eaten all day. "I am, thank you," he said. "Join me?'
She stepped outside with him and the two sat at the small porch table as the sun continued its gradual decline. They ate in silence, but through the Force Tobin could feel nervousness from his guest, and more.
He felt desire.
The realization came as a shock, though he covered it as best he could and continued to eat silently. It was a basic meal, of a grainy bread and long-neck steak with boiled vegetables, all coated in a thick brown sauce.
Sor'ai was a beautiful woman, as almost all young Twi'leks were. There was a reason why Twi'lek women had been desired as slaves through the millennia. He had never seen an unattractive female from that species, at least not by human terms. Sor'ai was no different. Her blue skin was soft and unblemished, her eyes a deep, watery aquamarine set in a face with classically beautiful features. Her lekku were cupped in gold clasps, giving the illusion they were braids rather than fleshy extensions of her actual brain. Like all of her kind the body under her uniform was lush and ripe, beautiful by any estimation.
Knowing what he did, he felt his body responding even as his mind flailed about hopelessly.
The meal was over and Sor'ai quietly gathered the plates. She was, he realized, assuming the traditionally subservient female role in a Twi'lek relationship. He had read in her file that there was both a genetic component to such subservience, combined with a lifetime of conditioning. Yet another reason so many Twi'lek females were sold into slavery.
"Sor'ai…"
"Others have seen how lonely you are," she said as she came to stand before him.
"I have a hard destiny," Tobin said. "But I won't be alone forever. I have foreseen the one I must marry in order to stop the slaughter.'
"Is she beautiful?"
"Yes."
"Will she love you?"
Tobin sighed. "That I cannot say. The Force shows me what I must do. It does not show me if there will be love in my life."
The Twi'lek woman very deliberately pulled down the clasp of her uniform, revealing beautiful, pale blue skin and nothing else.
"I will love you for tonight," she said. "Your destiny can have the rest."
"Sor'ai, I ca…."
His protest was cut off by a soft kiss and the feel of her body pressing against him. Her arms reached around and pulled him into the kiss, and his already weakened will crumbled. When at last they parted, he whispered, "Why?"
"Would your love wish you to suffer so?" Sor'ai asked.
He knew she was not speaking of his future, but of his past. "I don't know," he admitted with more emotion than he knew how to handle.
"If she loved you, then she would want you to be happy," Sor'ai said. "I do." She slowly unclasped his own uniform, and he found he could not resist.
~~Last Jedi~~
~~Last Jedi~~
Tobin was alone when he woke the next morning. He sat up as the first light of the morning seeped in through the blinds, and simply sat staring into the wall, while inside his mind replayed the events of the evening.
Sor'ai was very good. Their love play was gentle and kind and everything Tobin could have hoped for. But her one failing was that she was not Klinti. Eventually he folded his legs up underneath him and meditated, but the Force provided no answers.
After a quick shower, he dressed in loose training clothes obtained from the Rings many weeks prior, and sought out the home Shindo Bard and Soola Dayaala had made together on the surface, when Shindo was not in space.
He found the odd family awake and eating breakfast. Aaris looked up with a grin at his foster parents. "See," he said. "Told you he was coming."
Soola smiled lovingly at the boy before she turned and bowed. "He told us you were coming, Force-blessed. The Force is truly with him."
"It is indeed," Tobin said. "Did you sleep well?"
"Did you?" Shindo asked. Though many Sect members still treated Tobin with reverence, Shindo had also served with him on a pirate ship, and so was willing to speak more bluntly than many.
He was, Tobin knew, referring to Sor'ai. The young Force-adept wondered just how many people were aware of it. "I slept peacefully, thank you," he said.
Shindo nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Sometimes even masters of the Force need a good night. Would you join us? One of the other colonists discovered a local avian that lays eggs that are not just edible, but delicious."
"Yes, that would be nice."
So Tobin joined his apprentice's foster family for a morning meal, while Aaris chatted away about school and what he was learning. It was the closest thing to family Tobin had experienced since his mother's death. Even then, his morning meals with her did not feel this free and easy.
He was glad Aaris had this environment.
After breakfast, Tobin and Aaris meditated in the plains outside the city proper while Aaris's foster parents went bout their individual jobs. Shindo was actually attending a training session with his adult children that Sor'ai was holding for all ship personnel on how to actually do their jobs. The future captain was well trained by the academy and from all reports was doing a spectacular job.
"Some of the kids at school don't like me," Aaris said mid-way through their meditation session. "One boy tried to even beat me up."
"What did you do?"
Aaris grinned. "Put him on the ground, of course. Mama Soola said I wasn't supposed to fight, but I could feel he was going to try and hit me from behind. I let him swing first."
"You're in a difficult position," Tobin said. "In days of old, Jedi were segregated from the rest of the galaxy at a young age to be trained. Obviously I can't do that. When you are older, I will take you as my apprentice full time. But until then, I need you to study and learn as much as you can. And if the Force tells you about a pending attack, deal with it."
"You mean kill 'em?" Aaris asked. His upbringing showed in the absence of emotion regarding the question.
"No. There will be a time, Aaris, when I may ask you to kill. But not yet, and not these people. I am their leader and they are my people. It is our duty to protect them, not harm them. Leadership is a fine line. I treat them well, and they allow me to be their leader. If I treat them poorly, they may start leaving, and if the Empire ever learns about this world, all is lost."
Aaris nodded with a wisdom beyond his years. "Master Leia says that Jedi should let go their anger and fear."
"The Sith say otherwise," Tobin said. "It is a difficult line to balance one. For untold thousands of years, the Jedi and Sith fought each other because of their differences, until the Empire banned both sides and attempted to wipe the Force from the galaxy. We two are building a new line of Force-users. One that takes the best of both sides. Harness your emotions, Aaris. They can give you strength far beyond what the Jedi possessed. Love, anger. The Jedi of old forbid attachment, while the Jedi of new learned from the Sith that this was a fallacy. Love, hate. But at the same time never let your emotions control your judgment."
"I'm not really going to be a Jedi, then, am I?"
"No, not like Master Leia," Tobin said. "Nor will you be Sith. My mother was the last true Jedi. Darth Valus was the last true Sith Lord. You and I will be something new. I don't know what to call our new Order yet, but it will be an Order unlike anything seen since the split of the first Jedi."
Aaris nodded. "Master? Thank you. For saving me, I mean. For giving me a home and the Force."
Tobin smiled fondly at the boy. "You are very welcome, my apprentice. Now, let's run." Like any child, Aaris groaned. However, soon the two were running around the new colony.
It was more than exercise for Tobin—it was a way to observe the progress of the colony. The food crops were already well on their way to producing the first edible grains and vegetables. The stock animals were still too young, but the local megafauna was filling the gap for the Wookiees and humans. What impressed Tobin was the infrastructure already in place.
He tried to think and realized the colony was now six months old. In just six months, they had a real city, and it was not the only one. The second colony ship they saved had already landed in their secondary site and was, according to Sana, flourishing.
He left the colony behind and led Aaris on a wild run through the grass land. On several occasions he slowed. "Reach out with your senses, Aaris," he said. "What do you feel?"
"A club hopper!" Aaris said after a moment of concentration. The club hopper was a massive hunter with a clubbed tail and a set of lethally sharp claws. It was easily the size of any two speeders and could snap an adult in half.
"Is it after us?"
"No, I think it's hunting a humped grazer nearby."
"Then we'll wait for it to move on."
"Couldn't you kill it?" Aaris asked.
"I could," Tobin agreed.
"Why don't you?"
"Because every life has value, a price. To kill without reason squanders the price you have to pay."
"But you've killed!"
"Yes, and I've paid the price for each life," Tobin said somberly.
In his months of on-again, off-again training, Aaris had learned to sense something of his master's mood and simply nodded. "Okay."
The humped grazer was a juvenile that had gone too far from the herd. It was still twice the size of the already huge club hopper, but when the predator attacked, swinging the heavy clubbed tale around to shatter the herbivore's front leg, it was assured of a good meal.
They continued on after that, running with the Force flowing through them until they reached the temperate forests that bordered the edge of the plateau and the mountains nearby. The forest had already been remade by the huge influx of Wookiees, sporting a network of wooden trails through the branches of the tall trees. They were a strange mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees with leaves on the upper branches and spines on the lower branches to ward off the huge animals. This in turn seemed to lead to the development of a species of herbivore with a hugely elongated neck and a small head comprised of two small, beady eyes and one big mouth.
This was the animal that the Wookiees decided was their favorite, since the neck meat was particularly succulent and the animals bred like mad.
Although they were not expected, sharp Wookiee eyes saw the two approaching long before they arrived and they were greeted with happy roars from most of the Wookiees there. Unlike most of the adults in the colony that were raised by Imperial propaganda to fear the Wookiees, Aaris loved his time there. With Tobin's blessing the young boy scampered up the nearest tree and started visiting with his many new friends.
The adult Wookiees, perhaps lamenting the lack of children, welcomed him happily. Tobin himself was looking for Kash, and found the elder in a large platform on the tallest tree in the new Wookiee city. He was surrounded by a ring of older Wookiee workers and was eating a meal of meat and grain from the colony they had traded for meat.
"Welcome, Jedi son!" Kash said as Tobin arrived. He greeted Kash and his hastily assembled Elder council by name before sitting. He felt dwarfed among the huge creatures, but not threatened.
"Your people thrive here," he said.
"As well as we can," Kash agreed. "The meat is plentiful, but the trees are small. We have been discussing this. We believe we have thrown this planet out of balance. For us to live, we must kill too many of the long-necks for them to survive. When they die, the human colonies will not make enough to feed us. While this is a good world, we feel it is not sufficient for us long term."
This was new to Tobin, and he had to fight down a surge of panic. "Have you thought of any other place you could live?"
"Before we discuss that, we meant to ask if you would help us."
"Of course," Tobin said. "Your people are even now building ships for me. I owe you for that, if for no other reason. I and my people will help however we can."
"We wish to live on Dubrillion."
Tobin managed to shut his jaw. "Dubrillion is a dead world."
"Yes. It is perfect. If you wish to help us, you will find a world shaper, and you will remake Dubrillion into another Kashyyyk for us."
Tobin leaned forward, intrigued. "I do not doubt you, for you have seen much more than I. But who are world shapers?"
"The Vong," Kash said. "In the last days of the Alliance, the Jedi worked with the Vong to restore dead worlds. It worked, but the Sith poisoned their efforts to lead to war. Find a Vong to shape Dubrillion into a new Kashyyyk, and that will be our world."
The young Force-adept considered the request. Totally aside from the fact that no one wanted four hundred thousand cranky Wookiees, a habitable Dubrillion would make all their jobs easier. He just wasn't sure it was doable even by the Sekotan Vong.
"I will seek the Vong out," he finally said, "and ask if this can be done. If it is possible, then for you and your people I will do this, and then aid Taryn in transporting you. I give you my word."
Kash and the others roared their approval. "Then the promise is made, Jedi son," Kash said with a series of jubilant snuffles.
~~Last Jedi~~
~~Last Jedi~~
A week later, Tobin returned to Dubrillion by himself, giving Aaris some school time the boy needed so badly. He found a hive of activity. When his shuttle reverted to real space, he saw a new ship in third berth of the shipyard. Not just any ship, but the massive form of a Pelleaon-class star destroyer much like the one he and his mother fled to before the Zabrak betrayed them.
This ship was in awful shape, having been abandoned long ago, but he knew if Fieliel dedicated the resources to bringing it up from the surface, then the ship was salvageable. He did several close flybys of the shipyard, observing the progress.
The Sword of Stars was completely different, bristling now with armaments and a single turret gun almost the size of a sloop rising from the black cylinder that now dominated the center of the ship.
The Ackbar was the most impressive. The exterior hull appeared completely new, though Tobin knew that in fact the armor plating had simply been cleaned and coated with protective polymer common to all modern ships. The material provided additional shielding against most radiations so common in space. The ship looked truly intimidating now.
Fieliel had staff working on the surface from the old Dubrillion Aquarium building, while Deskarta commanded the progress from the shipyard. Tobin was also surprised to see a large orbital platform a few hundred thousand klicks away which looked like a series of three hundred meter long, on hundred meter in diameter cylindrical tanks.
When he finally arrived, Fieliel advised him on the progress. "The Ackbar is almost done," she said. "The ship was in surprisingly good shape on the inside. All weapons and navigation systems were intact, and frankly ship technology hasn't advanced at all since that era, so the systems are perfectly comparable to the modern Imperial navy. The main damage was a leaking hypermatter reactor and the hull. You can see we got the hull rectified, and I was able to have the reactor repaired. The old Alliance ships were designed with quick repair times in mind. With a replacement of two thruster arrays, she'll be ready for her shakedown cruise."
Tobin did not try to hide his eager smile. "Incredible. And the other?"
"Pellaeon-class, as I'm sure you saw. The exterior is a little worse off, but like the Alliance ship the interior systems were well maintained. Also, it is a newer ship; decommissioned only a century or so ago. Like the Ackbar we've reinforced the ship's hull with bonding polymers to renew and eliminate metal fatigue. Once we're able to get the hull plating repaired, I suspect she'll be ready to go as well. And Deskarta is just about done with the Sword of Stars. She's due to begin her shakedown cruise as soon as she has a crew and a captain."
Tobin was already thinking about who would comprise the crews, and who would captain them. "Master Fieliel, you have done incredible work here. What next?"
"Another Scythe-class, and a couple of more modern frigates that I think could be recovered with a minimum of fuss."
"Excellent. Thank you, and please let me know if there is anything you or Deskarta need."
"Where will you be?"
"In about a week, I'll be on the Rings talking to old enemies I hope to make into new friends."
~~Last Jedi~~
~~Last Jedi~~
Moff Dila Hershied wondered briefly how long she would be able to call herself a moff as Grand Moff Shol Dinteri's personal shuttle landed outside her administrative complex. The Grand Moff's frigate and corvette escorts floated in a low orbit, while the assault shuttle carrying Dinteri and his escort came down.
Hershied adjusted her collar, patted a strand of hair in place, and snapped to attention as the shuttle's ramp opened. All around, her officer corps snapped to attention as well.
Like Hershied, Dinteri was old-school Empire. From a family of moffs and admirals, the Grand Moff was destined for his office the moment he graduated from the Bastion Academy at the top of his class. He was a tall man, over two meters, with thick black hair frosted with gray and penetrating eyes.
The eyes at once made Hershied wonder why she never tried to sleep with him, and realize simultaneously that to do so would be the end of her career. This man was not a toy, and was notoriously dedicated to his wife and three children.
"Dila," he said. Moff's did not salute, since technically they were civilian governors. Rather, he offered his hand and she took it with a warm smile on her face.
"Shol," she said, sincerely, "it is good to see you again. I've prepared refreshments for you if you would like."
"Thank you," Dinteri said. His terse reply was a clear indicating there would be no pleasantries. It made things more nervous for her because, outside their offices, they were both good, long-time friends. She knew his wife and children by name.
Once they retreated to the safety and privacy of her office, Dila closed and sealed her door, and led the grand moff not to her desk, but to a worktable in an adjoining alcove. "I take it you came because of Sir Reindel?"
Dinteri shook his head. Without preamble, he said, "Sir Reindel? By the Throne, Dila, that is just the tip of it. What is happening out here? We're getting wild reports of super-powered abnormal pirates. I'm not even sure what Reindel told the Emperor. But I do know that I have the head of Kashyyyk Control screaming for someone's blood. Admiral Nitazzin is, to put it mildly, livid over the loss not just of a quarter of a million Wookiees, but the escorting frigate as well. Then to top it all off, someone in one of your frigates managed to steal an entire Type X shipyard right out from our noses while attacking and interfering with a holonet relay node. We lost three hundred thousand troopers and several thousand more workers, not to mention the Wookiees on board. What in the Emperor's name is going on?"
Hershied went perfectly still. "A shipyard? Wookiees missing?"
"Missing. Almost two hundred and fifty thousand stinking Wookiees stolen in their transports, and that's not even counting the crew of the stolen shipyard. How does a pirate steal that many Wookiees? How does anyone steal a shipyard? The Moff of the Gaulus Sector has already been dismissed and may likely lose his head. What is going on, Dila?"
Hershied went through her options. She was a politician, of course, but she was before that a loyal member of the Empire. She was also, as the saying went, caught. She did not doubt for an instant that a lie would come back and forcefully bite her. So she did not lie.
"Several years ago an Abnormal woman and her son fell in with one of my pet pirates. They had a falling out and the pirates turned her in to me. She and her son escaped to Korriban. So I sent two frigates to join this pirate ship in wiping her out. We killed a female and male, but only after the pirate lost two hundred men, and we lost close to a hundred."
Dinteri stared at her with a gaping jaw. "You lost combined three hundred men to two abnormals?"
"They were trained," Dila said. "The woman claimed to be a Jedi knight. She had a laser sword, and evidently she knew how to use it. But we got them, or so I thought. Just in the past few months though I started receiving word that the boy somehow survived, and that the male we killed on Korriban was another abnormal entirely. This boy may have single-handedly taken one of my frigates. The ship has committed several acts of piracy since then."
The grand moff reared back as if struck. "He took a frigate single-handedly?"
"He later killed two hundred troopers, also single-handedly, while taking an Ithorian luxury liner," Hershied said.
"And what are you doing in response?"
She quickly laid out their plans. So far, they had stopped two minor piracy attempts but had nothing on Tobin S'Artin. "I briefly considered attacking the Rings, but my admiral assured me the losses would be significant. I did not know about the theft of the Wookiees, however. I was debating bringing this to your attention, but frankly I was hoping to contain and deal with it myself."
"As well you should," Dinteri said with a shake of his head. "I don't fault anything you've done, Dila. You're actually one of the jewels in this oversector. But you must understand the Emperor has taken a personal interest in this because of Sir Reindel and he is not pleased."
"I could take the Rings," Hershied said. "That would remove his base of support and turn the other pirates against him. But I hesitated to risk a full third of my fleet without your consent."
"You have that consent," Dinteri said without hesitation. "And an additional task force of fifty ships and as many troops as you require. They've had their place in the past, but the pirate problem has to go away, at least for a while. And most importantly, this Tobin S'Artin must go away with it."
"I understand, Shol," Moff Hershied said. "It will take a week or so to mobilize, but we'll get it done, one way or the other."