Hello, Star Wars fans. How are you doing on this fine day? Sorry that this chapter took so long to put online, but I had to put my thoughts together, and, since I started a summer course at my school, it's been a little tougher to assemble my ideas. And I was at my grandparents' house in Florida for a couple of days, so I didn't have much time for writing. By the way, do you guys like my use of Mando'a in this story? I think that it is a great way of honoring Karen Traviss's work in creating the language of the Mandalorians. Oh, and what do you think of all of the Expanded Universe references that I've made in all of my stories, especially the last two? Give me honest answers in reviews, as long as it is in the form of constructive criticism, as I won't appreciate hate mail. Anyway, I planned to have a ticked off Mirta Gev in this story, and a ticked off Mirta you shall receive. And, there will be a small surprise in store for you in this chapter. Try and guess what it is. Don't bother, as I won't give it away. Well, with that out of the way, let's get started on this latest chapter.
Day 43 Since the Shadow Alliance's Formation
Jedi Academy, Shedu Maad
"Fifty thousand Mandalorians?" Luke whispered as the rest of the Jedi Council had their eyes wide open at Corran Horn's report.
"In addition to the Zygerrian Slavers Guild, an expanded Maw Irregular Fleet, ships, weapons, and volunteers from the Corporate Sector Authority and Czerka Corporation, various planets that owe Daala favors for her actions before, during, and after the Yuuzhan Vong War, and a number of Zeshion Sha that Daala managed to recruit to her cause by promising to eliminate the Jedi and Sith from the galaxy, when, this is the ironic part, she plans to eliminate all force users in existence." Boba Fett stoically said, who was beside Corran and Adari in the hologram, before continuing, saying, "All of the information on the fleet is in the report."
"Even with Hapan and Imperial reinforcements nearing you, how do you hope to overcome a fleet and army of that size without any Jedi aid?" K'Kruhk said, worried over the unavoidable loss of life that was going to begin to occur in four days, as he valued all life, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.
"We Mandalorians are a tough bunch, K'Kruhk. We can hold our own against any foe." Fett confidently replied.
"Besides, the favors that Edaan called in, and your allies, are starting to come in. We've already received twelve Turbulent-class destroyers, the Five-oh-First Legion, and Empress Jaina Solo Fel and a squad of he Imperial Knights as Imperial reinforcements, the two Black Sun Vigos that Edaan recruited and their forces, ten crime lords from Ord Mantell and their allies, and Zygerria and Taris have sent in royal guards and various mercenaries, respectively. Not to mention all of the other reinforcements should arrive in the system within two days." Adari said in an attempt to placate the Council, and to prevent them from sending any more reinforcements, as any more Jedi might cause an end to the fragile alliance that currently existed.
"We've been kept in the know about the allies that Edaan recruited." Octa Ramis said. "Speaking of which, where is Edaan? He should be going over these reports with us."
At the mention of Edaan's name, Corran and Adari nervously looked at each other, while Fett just stood still with his usual stoic demeanor, before Corran said, "He's been captured in another one of his karking schemes, and we can't rescue him before Daala launches her invasion, so he's on his own."
"What do you mean, Master Horn?" Kyle said, not liking where Corran was going with this.
"What I mean, Grand Master Katarn, is that he's decided to go after Mirta Gev in an attempt to bring her over to our side, recruited Armand Vorn to his cause, and got the two of them captured." Corran said.
After taking a moment to absorb what was just said, Ben said, "Is he out of his flipping mind?! What makes him think that he can redeem a Sith lacky in a matter of days?"
"Because, Ben," Adari said, sick of the lack of faith that Ben didn't have in his former apprentice, before continuing, saying, "he made a promise to Sintas Vel and Ghes Orade that he'd bring back Mirta Gev and her two kids, and he always keeps his promises."
"And you think that's a good reason for him to go gallivanting across Mandalorian Space and into Natasi Daala's clutches?!" he exclaimed.
"He's not alone, Ben. I have my top agents keeping an eye on him and Armand." Boba said.
"How did Armand get himself captured, anyway?" Han Solo asked Boba, both furious at Edaan for attemting to save not only Vestara, but her top accomplice as well, and impressed that he was able to convine Daala's own son to abandon her mad crusade for a near-impossible cause.
"Apparently, Natasi was eavesdropping on her son while he and his men were on Shogun, then she had his men murdered by her loyal supercommandos, and now Armand is under house arrest. Oh, and Mirta's been demoted to Captain for an unknown reason." Boba said.
"Could Daala be doubting the loyalty of her, then?" T'ra Saa said.
"That's a good possibility, Master Saa, considering that, according to Fett's spies' reports, Mirta's opposed Daala's more extreme actions and policies." Corran said.
"Then Edaan's reckless mission of subverting Daala's forces from the inside may bear fruit after all." Leia said in an attempt to calm the other agitated Jedi Masters present.
"Let's hope so, because it's out of our hands now." Adari said, the fear in her voice for her fiancé was evident to everyone in the conversation.
"Anyway…" Han said, hoping to turn the conversation away from a depressing topic. "Not that I'm questioning the good fortune, Fett, but why is Jaina and the Imperial Knights there, considering the deal made between you and Edaan?"
"Well, Solo, when your Jedi Council sent out word for reinforcements in Imperial space, your daughter, the Empress herself, felt the need to aid her old friends. She wouldn't take no for an answer, so I had to oblige her. I allowed her to come due to her friendships with many of my people. Her enterouge was also part of the deal, as she, apparently, has a number of political enemies, so she can't travel anywhere without them. And, at least these force users know the value of being warriors. But, and let me emphasize this strongly, so there's no misunderstandings, NO MORE FORCE USERS ON MY PLANET!" He said, practically screaming it out at the end, shocking everyone on both ends of the holonet channel, as no one but his father, Jango Fett, had ever heard him scream.
It was then that a strong female voice said, "Oh, don't worry, Mand'alor, there will be no more force users from the Empire. At least, not under my watch." The voice belonged to the woman that stepped into the holonet channel from the Imperial fleet orbiting Mandalore, Jaina Solo Fel, the last surviving child of Han and Leia Organa Solo, Empress of the Fel Empire, and before that, Jedi Council Member, and the first and only Sword of the Jedi of the resurrected Jedi Order.
"Jaina?" Han said, both pleased and surprised to see and hear that his daughter was in orbit around Mandalore. "What are you doing at Mandalore? I thought that you were negotiating a dispute between Dorin and Vortex."
"The dispute was boring, which meant that it went smoothly. And when I heard that the Five-oh-First Legion and a small fleet were heading to Mandalore on my husband's orders due to the Jedi Council, I decided to get involved in some much-needed action. I need some adventure, as my skills are a little rusty, what with forming the Imperial Knights and attending all of these summits and meetings. And besides, my knights need some field experience, so this way, we kill three birds with one stone." Jaina replied.
"Careful, Jaina. A Jedi does not crave excitement, and you are still a Jedi in spirit, if not in body." Luke said, a hint of amusement crept into his voice as he reminisced over all of the adventures that Jaina and her two brothers, Jacen and Anakin Solo, had gotten into in their years together while all three of them were alive.
"Sorry, Uncle Luke." Jaina said, and right after she said those words, a cough turned everyone's attention back towards Boba Fett.
"I really hate to interrupt such a sweet family reunion, but can we get back to the war meeting? Here's a complete list of Daala's list of favors, the ships that are under her command, and the Jedi hunters and commanders that serve her. Just don't let this intel go to waste." Boba said.
"Wait, Jedi hunterz? Who?" Saba asked, her interest piqued.
"Aurra Sing, Black Krrsantan, members of the Crimson Nova Chapters Guild of the reconstituted Bounty Hunters' Guild, and a few rogue GenoHaradan assasins that feel that the Jedi don't deserve their current status in the galaxy, and that Daala should protect the galaxy instead." Boba explained.
"Santy and Aurra are still around?" Han said, incredulous as that two of his enemies were free after the First and Second Galactic Civil Wars, respectively.
"That's right, Solo. Alive and active. They're the reason that several of your Jedi have been killed, including Ohali Soroc, who, according to the files that Armand sent to us, is one of your so-called 'Quest Knights,' hunting for what appears to be the only weapon that can permanently kill Abeloth, the Mortis Dagger." Boba confimed, bewildering everyone but Boba as he revealed that he now knew about the Quest Knights' top-secret mission, and that one of those Knights was in Daala's hands before being murdered. "Don't worry, the rest of the Quest Knights are safe, and I want to keep it that way. I don't want Abeloth coming back any more than you do, so I'll keep your knights' mission a secret between us. As long as we take care of Daala, that is. Otherwise, all of your knights are in danger." Boba continued, his words beginning to reassure everyone present as they continued the war meeting, not aware of the trees that were beginning to bear fruit in Mandalorian Space.
One Day Later, in the Shogun system Onboard the Chimaera
Mirta Gev was furious with herself for allowing such weakness to fill her. In her foolishness, she had lost command of much of her troops, who were now placed under the command of Daala's Jedi hunters, who were, in addition to her, also under Belok Rhal's command. Instead of commanding half of Daala's regular troops, she only had a few hundred soldiers that remained loyal to her. Still, that left her with a substantial force that, if used correctly, could still do a substantial part in winning the Second Mandalorian Civil War. And, pehaps then, Mirta could regain favor in Daala's eyes, and regain command of all of her troops.
Until then, she would have to be a model soldier, which meant that she would personally oversee the interrogation of Jedi Knight Edaan Palpatine. But first, she would learn one thing from a certain prisoner, so she could better understand her most famous prisoner. That was why she was waiting for clearance from Daala's security team in order to visit her second-most guarded prisoner: Armand Daala.
After waiting ten minutes, and receiving clearance from the admiral herself, Mirta was ushered into Armand's quarters, where the man was meditating in the center of the room. Not being able to resist a barb at the sight before her, Mirta said, "What, you admire the Jedi Order so much that you are trying to emulate them?"
"No. It's a coping mechanism for all of the stress and anger that I'm under right now. You try being under house arrest by your own insane mother, no offense to your mother, Mirta, and having all of your friends and comrades stabbed in the back for doing what's right." Armand grounded out through clenched, not opening his eyes to face the Mandalorian behind him.
"Oh, and you think that the Jedi haven't stabbed anyone in their backs?" Mirta contemptuously said.
"You can't keep holding Roche and Darth Caedus as excuses to do terrible things, Mirta. That only makes people think of you as a whiny child." Armand countered. "And besides, not all Jedi are alike. Just talk with Edaan without all of the torture, and you'll see the decent man behind the armor that he's put up to defend himself."
"I doubt that a Jedi, much less a Palpatine, could be a decent being, Armand. And it's because of him that I've lost so much of my command."
"No. It's because Daala doesn't want people with a soul in her organization. Why do you think that Daala sent me and my men down to Shogun? It was to die for standing up for what we believe in, and not in this mad war and the unholy alliance with the Sith."
"It's a-" Mirta began to say before being cut off.
"'It's just a means to an end. I know.' But Daala's trying to eradicate anyone who stands up to her, especially force users. Can you imagine how many force sensitives that exist without any knowledge of their abilities? What's Daala gonna do with them all? Enslave them? Lock them all up? Or just kill them all to save the trouble of dealing with them later? And what about the innocents that try to defend them just for existing? Daala will just massacre them all in order to strike fear into their hearts of everyone else that lives, leaving only the worst of the people in the galaxy in charge." Armand elaborated.
After looking at Armand for a minute, Mirta said, "I just want a safe and secure Mandalore, free from any harm. We've suffered too much in the last century, ranging from the Great Clan Wars, the First Mandalorian Civil War, the Clone War, the Rise of the First Galactic Empire, the Yuuzhan Vong War, and the Second Galactic Civil War, to be bullied around anymore, while the Jedi have only had a glimpse of the suffering that we've been through."
"I think that, deep down, you miss your family, and that, in a twisted way, you're doing this for them, because you don't want anyone to hurt them anymore than they already are. And the Jedi have suffered a lot as well, like during the four Great Schisms, the two Great Sith Wars, the Sith Civil War, the Treaty of Coruscant, the two Jedi Purges, the Clone War, the Yuuzhan Vong War, and every conflict after that. And, by the way, Edaan's not a very orthodox Jedi, so that means that he's willing to work with people of all walks of life, like Mandaloriaans and members of the galactic underworld, so he might have more than a few things in common with both groups if you give him a chance."
"I doubt that, considering that he'll be dead within a few weeks." Mirta retorted.
"I doubt that. In fact, I think that you'll bust the two of us, along with all of Daala and Caedus's prisoners out of our prisons, and lead your forces to aid your Ba'buir, your husband, and Edaan in order to bring down Daala and the Sith once and for all." Armand replied.
"Even if Daala can be beaten, and the 'Dragon Lord' are beaten by the Jedi and their allies, the Sith will return. They always return."
"Not if the entire galaxy unites against them. Usually, it's just the Jedi and the Old Republic that have lead the charge, but Edaan, a single Jedi Knight, is, bit by bit, uniting the galaxy against the Sith."
Seeing that this argument would continue for hours without end if they continued, Mirta left the room, but before she could exit the door, Armand got up, went to her, put his hands on her shoulders, and said, "I have faith that you'll know what's right, and do the right thing when the time comes."
"Then you better pray to whatever power that exists, because I doubt that I'll do what you think is right." Mirta said with a sigh as she left the room, leaving Armand to watch as Daala's fleet continued to grow, as fifty heavily modified Invincible-class Dreadnaught Heavy Cruisers came out of hyperspace to supplement Daala's already impressive fleet.
And, that ends my longest chapter ever. I hope you enjoyed it, and my references to elements from both cannons. Now, before you get all mad at me for mentioning Black Krrsantan, since he's a new canon character, let me explain. Yes, I've collected a few comics of the Star Wars and Darth Vader comic book series, but I don't plan on collecting all of the issues, as not all of them can be tweaked into the Expanded Universe. I think that Black Krrsantan is a tough Wookiee, and could be a deadly villain in my next story. Sorry if I've offended you, but I am just desperate for more Star Wars material, as I can't collect any novels for a while, as they completely throw out the Expanded Universe. Anyway, tell me what you think of the characterizations of all of the characters, ranging from Boba Fett, to Mirta Gev, and Armand Daala. Oh, and before I forget, sorry that I've had Armand have two last names, but from now on, I plan to have Armand called "Armand Vorn", as he would want to be remembered by his father, who I think was a good man, as he had to be to calm a murderous lunatic like Daala, because, let's face it, the woman's totally insane for trying to destroy Coruscant in the Jedi Academy Trilogy, and for trying to make the New Jedi Order serve her government exclusively. So, with that our of the way, tell me what you think in reviews, as long as you give me constructive criticism, and not hate reviews like someone else that I know. May the Force be With you, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!