Twenty-Nine
|-()-|I|-()-|
Anakin was already awake when the alarms blared rather painfully above his head. Since the original plan was to house only Twin Suns in Ebaq 9, and no extra material had been brought in to expand the base, his quarters was aboard the Mon Adapyne—General Farlander's flagship. And he had no desire to trade places with Twin Suns either. He had toured the bunker-like structure shortly after arriving in the system. It lacked sufficient power, heating, sometimes artificial gravity, and a whole host of other things that his nice and cozy officer's quarters had in abundance. Not that he was in his quarters at the moment.
Call it a hunch, but he had already been on his way to the hangar bay when the alarms went off. A brief touch of his lightsaber had confirmed that this wasn't a drill; the Yuuzhan Vong had arrived.
He entered the hangar with a fast stride, joined by the other pilots only seconds later.
"This is it," Tahiri quipped, running beside him on her way to her fighter.
"Good luck out there, Barefoot Leader," Anakin said.
"You too," Tahiri snuck in a quick kiss before they parted ways.
Anakin slid into the seat of his X-wing, pulling on his helmet as he did.
"This is Mon Adapyne Control. Fighters launch when ready."
"Copy Control, Sapphire squadron is ready and launching." With the military discipline that was instilled in them by their Chiss commander, Sapphire squadron, a combination of A-wings, X-wings, and Clawcraft, took off.
"Control, Barefoot squadron will follow them," Tahiri's voice came in. "Barefoots, report in when we're clear of the Mon Adapyne."
Anakin readied his engines and angled his fighter out of the Mon Calamari cruiser's hangar after the rest of his squadron.
As the members of Barefoot squadron called in one by one, the other squadrons continued to launch. Jagged's squadron finished the launching cycle, joining the wing of fighters out in the cold void of the Deep Core. "Vanguard squadron is the last out. All fighter squadrons are clear of the hold."
"Control copies. Good luck and may the Force be with you all."
Anakin thought that the person on the comm sounded a bit frightened. Anakin didn't blame him. Only several light minutes away was a Yuuzhan Vong fleet the size he hadn't seen before; and more ships were still arriving. Hundred, thousands, an unbreakable tide of organic vessels, looming in the distance. Squadrons of capital ships, fighters, ship of all shapes and sizes began a steady course towards their location, gradually speeding up as they did.
"Twin Suns Leader, Vanguard and Barefoot have your back," Tahiri said.
Anakin felt his brother and sister through the meld and tried to send them positive thoughts. All the Jedi were feeling apprehension at the onslaught of approaching Vong vessels and the joking mood that normally permeated their meld was nonexistent.
"Control to Barefoot Twelve. The nav buoys are being ignored."
"Good," Anakin said. "The plan is still the same. Activate them when the main fleet arrives."
Although this meant that many Yuuzhan Vong ships would be destroyed in the interim, Anakin and Admiral Kre'fey had been forced to balance the needs of the New Republic fleet with the possibility of having only a few Yuuzhan Vong vessels betray their brethren. Anakin may not have liked it, but he had to agree that it was the wisest course of action.
"Affirmative."
"Here we go, people!" Jaina called out as the tide of Yuuzhan Vong vessels finally crashed upon General Farlander's fleet group.
And then the battle was on. Coralskippers swooped in from every direction, missiles and plasma flaring back and forth in lethal volleys. Fighters were shredded on both sides, and a wounded Yuuzhan Vong corvette began a suicide charge through the thick of the New Republic formation.
General Farlander slashed his fleet through the middle of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet sent to meet him, and then to the surprise of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet, reversed course and tore another devastating path through their formation. The Yuuzhan Vong were not impressed and pounded his ships relentlessly.
"Friendly cruiser to port," Jaina called out. "Let's take some of the pressure off of it, Twin Suns."
"Barefoots follow them in."
"We'll ensure your backs are clear."
"Thanks Vanguard."
Two dozen X-wings gunned their engines in a high-speed dash towards the light cruiser. Their course took them through a breakneck obstacle course between the two fleets. Deafening explosions rippled all around them, blossoms of fire blooming in shades of blue and red. Streaks of lethal projectiles and energy lanced indiscriminately across space, sending chunks of metal and coral spinning everywhere. A literal wall of capital ships surrounded them on all sides, leaving them with no choice but to go through the deadly gauntlet.
Braving the devastating broadsides from both sides, with flashes of light—almost blinding at times—filling their cockpits, the pilots of Twin Suns and Barefoot squadron weaved through the lethal obstacle course.
"Watch yourselves Barefoots and Twin Suns! There's a lot of random fire out here." Anakin yelled out in warning as a friendly fighter flared into non-existence off to the side.
As the last fighter of the two dozen, Anakin had a clear view of the other X-wings. Rather than focus on the coralskippers and other Yuuzhan Vong vessels, he was constantly scanning the area around the Twin Suns and Barefoots. He quickly switched the comm frequency to his flight. "Barefoots Eleven, Ten, and Nine. We're on missile duty. Start blasting anything that even remotely looks like its heading in the direction of the others."
"Copy Twelve."
"Time to clear a path for our Goddesses." Barefoot Nine said.
"Lasers cycling to rapid fire," Barefoot Eleven called in last.
The four X-wings began bouncing in and out of the back and forth fire, their lasers mowing down flying pieces of shrapnel and missiles with speed and efficiency.
"It's nice for once that these things aren't heading in our direction," Twin Suns Ten said as their fast-fire approach created a laser screen around their squadmates and Twin Suns.
Behind them, coralskippers who were trying to line up for an attack on the two squadrons were blasted apart by a third as Vanguard squadron did their part.
The tricky corkscrew through the fleets paid off, and the two dozen fighters burst from out of the scrum to aid the stricken light cruiser. It was a Republic-class cruiser, venting a trail of ice crystals that had once been air. The capital ship was being pummeled by three Yuuzhan Vong frigates and countless coralskippers, its hull scorched and glowing with plasma damage. The Twin Suns and Barefoot reformed and moved into position to assist.
"Did we lose anyone?" Jaina called out sharply.
"Barefoots are all accounted for," Tahiri replied in negative.
"Two here, Lead. We're all here."
"Thanks Vale," Jaina sounded relieved to hear the rookie Neimoidian pilot's voice. "Twin Suns, each flight form echelon. Each pilot pick your target. Re-form on the other side, look for your wingmate first and then for me, Understood?"
"Barefoots, we're going go with the Yammka-tor'do strategy. Stick to your flights and do as you've been doing for the past few months. Let 'em in and blast them apart."
The twenty-four fighters became flexible units of four as the squadrons broke off towards their perspective targets.
Anakin settled in front of Barefoot Nine, while Barefoot Eleven and Ten mimicked their positions. Their goal was to confuse the Yuuzhan Vong sensors into seeing only two gravity profiles instead of four. They pressed ahead in their extremely tight formation, their shields overlapping. The countless hours of training for this battle finally being put to use.
Several coralskipper flights broke off their attack on the cruiser and rose to meet them. As they entered firing range, the front two X-wings banked hard to let the rear two fighters open fire. The split second of surprise was all the New Republic pilots needed. The coralskipper pilots were panicked by the sudden doubling of the oncoming fire. A few coralskippers collided with each other, while the rest of the oncoming fighters were vaporized by the concentrated laser and point-blank missile fire. The out of control, spinning husks of coralskippers flew head over tail by Anakin's flight as they pulled to a relatively clear space in the battle.
"Twin Suns, Barefoots, this is Vanguard Leader. Two squadron of skips are flanking you at point zero—seven—five, advise evasive maneuvers."
Anakin glanced towards the designated location, and as he did, had a moment to truly look at the rest of the battle. Hundreds of capital ships were delivering brilliant and extremely deadly broadsides in a chaotic free-for-all. More ships were going down in flame, some were little more than blackened skeletons. Fighters, too numerous to count, were swooping around these flaming and dying wrecks, intent on blasting each other into oblivion. Even as one Yuuzhan Vong cruiser broke apart, three others moved into position and proceeded to annihilate a New Republic heavy cruiser. More Yuuzhan Vong continued to join the engagement, a second wave lashing across the shore created by the New Republic fleet.
This was a battle they weren't going to win any time soon.
"Jaina?" Anakin called out.
"Already sent for help, Little Brother." Jaina's voice was strained as she did her best to keep her pilots alive.
The Jedi battlemeld coordinator, Madurrin, sent a breeze of calm through the Force, as her arrival coincided with the addition of many other Force presences and the Ralroost. Zekk, Corran, Kyp, Saba, Tekli, Cilghal, and the other Jedi quickly began their own assistance, and with the additional help brought in by the Ralroost and her taskforce, the second Yuuzhan Vong wave was stemmed before it could roll over Farlander's fleet.
The arrival of Admiral Kre'fey and the others, however, only seemed to goad the rest of the Yuuzhan Vong forces into the battle. With complete destruction of the New Republic fleet in mind, an unending stream of coralskippers burst through the cloud of metal and coral debris. The bridges of the New Republic vessels were awash with the frantic communications of the squadrons of starfighters right in the thick of things.
"Watch your six!"
"Three just took a missile!"
"Sithspit!"
"Someone get them off me!"
"Where are you?"
"It's too late!"
But coralskippers weren't the only overwhelming threat in the Yuuzhan Vong arsenal. Intact and powerful cruisers, battleships, and frigates, plowed pass the burnt out hulks of other capital ships. More Yuuzhan Vong, from every direction, tore apart the New Republic reinforcements with lethal efficiency. It took all anyone could do to survive as the void of space was lit up in what looked like a single, multi-colored sheet of energy.
|-()-|II|-()-|
While the Yuuzhan Vong fleet was drawn further into the conflict, they had no idea of the events unfolding thirty light-years away in the hyperspace route behind them. The narrow route that led to Ebaq and its moons was now occupied by another New Republic taskforce. This fleet was few in number and a majority of them were unarmed. Yet, as they began their mission, they would play a vital role in sealing the fate of Tsavong Lah and his forces.
Interdictor mines were laid out in the narrow route. These mines were modeled off of the Yuuzhan Vong dovin basal and designed to pull any ship traveling along the single route out of hyperspace. Conventional mines were laid around these interdictors, by the dozens, hundreds, thousands. Soon, the path into and out of the Ebaq system was sealed. Escape from the New Republic trap now impossible.
|-()-|III|-()-|
Anakin grimaced as the latest explosion caused his cockpit to fill with smoke. A well-aimed missile fired by one of the larger ships had exploded in the direct center of his flight. There was no avoiding it without veering into the layer of suppressing fire it had laid down. He waved his hand to clear the smoke, then checked his comlink. "Three Flight, check in."
"The blast took out Ranman, Ten is gone!" Chari, Barefoot Eleven said with anguish.
"Nine, are you still with us?"
"Comm…ica…sys…d..mag…barely read…" Came the static-filled response of Qui, one of the two Bothan pilots in the squadron.
Another explosion nearby and Anakin saw a fighter from Vanguard and one from Twin Suns disappear in the lethal cloud. Anakin grimaced, they were being chewed up despite the arrival of the Ralroost's task force. He wiped several beads of sweat away and adjusted his grip on the steering yoke. "Three Flight, form up. Barefoot Lead, my flight's fighters have been banged up a bit, we're breaking for the Ralroost."
"Lead copies, Four and Six will join you," the tension in Tahiri's voice was unmistakable, and Anakin felt her through the meld reach out and assist his condition. Satisfied that he was unharmed, she returned her full focus back to the fight.
"Twelve, this is Twin Suns Lead. You mind taking a few of my fighters as well? Two, Nine and Eleven are badly damaged."
"The more the merrier, Goddess," Anakin remarked. "Vanguard, want to add to our number?"
"Much obliged. Seven and Ten will be joining your flight out."
"I copy, all fighters who need a bit of a break, follow me out."
Anakin changed course abruptly, shaking a coralskipper that had been lining up for a shot. The coralskipper tried to correct and was promptly lit up by both Jaina and Tahiri's lasers. The two squadron leaders shot off in opposite directions, the rest of their squadrons close behind as they cleared a path.
Anakin aimed for the gap in the debris and laser-filled battlefield and pressed his fighter as hard as it could go. Joining him were the nine other badly damaged snub-fighters.
As they broke free of the main engagement, Anakin thumbed his comlink. "Twin Suns Two, take the lead, I'll bring up the rear."
"Roger."
Anakin settled himself at the rear of the outbound formation, carefully observing the sparking, flaming, and barely flying burn-out fighters trying to make it to safety. "Vanguard Seven, you're slowing down."
"Plasma must have finally eaten into the engines," the young-sounding pilot said, panic clear in his voice. "I'm losing power to most of my systems."
"Relax Seven," Anakin closed his eyes and began to push the fighter along its route, helping it to maintain its momentum.
"Wha…how….huh?"
"The benefits of having a Jedi in the squad," Twin Suns Two, Vale, said brightly, even as one of her S-foils snapped off and tumbled into space.
"Keep it together, Vale, I can only push one fighter at a time," Anakin sent.
"Anakin! Three squadrons of coralskippers have broken off and are heading in your direction. We can't match their speed!" Jaina yelled in warning both through the comm-system and through the battlemeld.
At the same time, a fleet-wide broadcast from the Mon Adapyne flooded the other channels. "All ships, this is General Farlander. All ships to alter course simultaneously on the following coordinates…"
Anakin heard the coordinates with a sinking feeling. Their cover between where they were and where the Ralroost was was now taking off in the opposite direction. Anakin signaled to Madurrin onboard the Ralroost that assistance was needed, and received a calming affirmative in response. While Farlander's fleet began their run for the Solo-Slingshot around a modified interdictor missile, the Ralroost and its supporting ships streamed closer to meet Anakin's damaged fighters half way.
"Damaged Vanguards, Twin Suns, and Barefoots. If you can still fly without flying apart, I'm going to need you to hang back here with me to buy the others some time. Everyone else, get to the Ralroost. Go!"
Anakin gave the damaged Vanguard fighter one final massive push with the Force and hoped it was enough to get the pilot to safety. While six of the nine fighters continued their retreat, Vale from Twin Suns, Zindra from Barefoot, and Vanguard Ten, reversed course to stay with him.
"Twin Suns Two?" Anakin said questioningly, seeing Vale's X-wing minus two S-foils.
"I'm good to go, Barefoot Twelve. The damage was isolated to the pieces I'm missing now. Your sister ordered me back just to be safe."
"If you're sure," Anakin glanced down at the sensors, then decided that he didn't need them. There was no mistaking the rising cloud of coralskippers. "This is going to be tight. Our main goal will be to fly around and not get vaped. If you can, try to get them to crash into each other. Leave any shooting to the rest of our squadrons."
"Twelve, just so you know, flying isn't one of my strengths," Vale said fearfully.
"Just stay on my wing and I'll keep you alive," Anakin said with determination. The last thing he wanted was to tell his sister that he had gotten her wingman killed. "Zindra, you and Vanguard Ten will pair up."
"Understood," Zindra replied. From the distance her fighter was at, Anakin could see jagged cracks all across her cockpit. The rear half of her fighter was also blackened and pitted from several explosions.
"Copy," Vanguard Ten's fighter was missing a laser cannon and had a piece of coral lodged in its side just behind the pilot's chair.
The swarm of coralskippers entered firing range, and the space around them was instantly alight with flak and plasma bursts. "Break now!"
The four fighters veer sharply away from the oncoming wave of alien fighters, immediately drawing entire squadrons in their wake. Anakin pushed his fighter to its limits, alarms sounding as shields and other vital systems began to red-line. Staying at his wing the entire way, Vale's own X-wing strained to follow his movements.
"Twelve, we've picked up two squadrons, but the third is continuing on towards the others."
Anakin cursed and scanned the space around them. The Ralroost was still too far away to provide covering fire, and Farlander's fleet had trouble of their own as it wedged itself between two of the Yuuzhan Vong battle groups. All of the other New Republic squadrons, from the Rogues to the Wild Knights and Kyp's Dozen, were in the thick of it with the other hundreds of coralskipper fielded by the Yuuzhan Vong. He then saw a solution. A Republic-class cruiser that had yet to join up with the rest of Farlander's fleet.
"Far Thunder, this is Barefoot Twelve, before you slingshot yourself around, can you give us a hand?"
The captain's response was swift. "Give us a sec, Twelve. We'll be right over."
Anakin fired his last missile at the third squadron of coralskippers in hopes of buying the others that second the Far Thunder needed. He detonated the warhead just before the void defenses of the fighters swallowed it, and the blast shook the rearmost of the coralskippers. At the same time, the coralskipper squadron pursuing him and Vale opened up with everything they had.
Anakin expanded his Force awareness to include Vale as they spiraled dizzyingly through the endless barrage of lethal energy.
"I don't know how much longer I can keep up!" Vale exclaimed.
"You're doing fine, Vale," Anakin tried to keep his voice calm and projected a soothing aura towards the other pilot despite the fact that they were a hairsbreadth away from being space debris. "You're doing fine. We just have to hold out a little bit longer."
The concentrated fire began to narrow, slowly trapping the two of them in an ever decreasing vortex of plasma and shrapnel. Anakin's fighter was rocked as he banked the two of them to the side. A magma missile exploded off their port side, peppering them with super-heated shrapnel. Despite his fighter receiving the brunt of the blast, Vale's fighter didn't take on any more damage, just as he had planned.
"Far Thunder, where are you!"
"Present as requested." The New Republic light cruiser rolled in with guns blazing, parking itself between the other damaged fighters and the pursuing third squad of coralskippers. Several of the coralskippers couldn't turn up in time and plastered themselves against the Far Thunder's hull. Meanwhile, the ship's laser and ion batteries laid down a sheet of destruction, giving Anakin, Vale, Zindra, and Vanguard Ten some much needed relief. "You're clear to continue your retreat Twelve."
"Thanks for saving our butts," Anakin said, allowing himself to take a deep breath and exhale.
"Just returning the favor we owed you Solos at Obroa-Skai."
Anakin chuckled. "Consider whatever debt you had cleared."
"No problem, you Solos are handy to have around."
The rest of Twin Suns, Barefoot, and Vanguard squadron arrived to help the Far Thunder mop up the remaining coralskippers. While Anakin and the others continued their retreat to the Ralroost, a second New Republic task force dropped in to aid the beleaguered forces of Kre'fey and Farlander. Anakin allowed a small smile at the timid presence that entered the meld. Joining with his siblings, they sent a combined greeting.
"Hi mom."
|-()-|IV|-()-|
Alema paced back and forth like a caged beast as she watched the battle unfold from the Fleet Command's operations room. She hated not being there, not being able to fight or be able to do anything about it. Her hands curled into fists as reports of a Barefoot squadron loss was relayed through the channels. Her heart had raced painfully when the sensor grid had shown Anakin on the verge of being overwhelmed by the coralskippers, four blue dots being consumed by a swarm of red.
Vergere too was watching the battle unfold, but only with a detached interest. Her snout seemed to wrinkle as the Fosh Force-user regarded the others in the room. What she was thinking was anyone's guess. But after being cleared of any involvement at the Alpha Red base, the others had no reason to keep her from joining Alema in the room.
"This is the critical moment," Ackbar said in the background.
Alema tuned him out, sighing softly as the dots that represented Anakin and the other damaged fighters merged with the Ralroost. Her focus then returned to Tahiri, again relaxing when she saw the icon for Barefoot Leader still going strong. She could feel them in the Force, of course, but that didn't mean anything to Alema. Feelings were complicated, allowing one to sense something if they really wanted too. The Force could be manipulated, tricks both mental and emotional had claimed Jedi far greater than her.
While the Twi'lek Jedi continued to pace and study, Vergere's sharp eyes narrowed and a smile flickered across the Fosh's face. "You love them, do you not?"
Alema looked up sharply from the hologram she was studying. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Vergere motioned to the projector. "Your eyes have been following only Anakin and Tahiri's progress though there are many others being displayed. Like the young Master Skywalker and the Jedi apprentices in this room, your concern for them mirrors their own."
"Is it wrong to care for another?" Alema said archly.
"There is a reason the Jedi of old forbade attachments," Vergere said. It was more as if she was regurgitating a fact than lecturing.
"Isn't that forbidden nature of attachment what doomed your order in the first place?" Alema said. "You can't not hide away your feelings, keep it bundled up, and expect to remain sane."
"It is strange," Vergere continued. "You love Anakin Solo, yet you let another remain at his side."
"It is strange," Alema said mildly, regarding the Fosh with an even stare. "That you are even interested in the angst that comes with teenage relationships. I warned you earlier, didn't I, that your agenda shouldn't cross my own?"
Vergere inclined her head and conceded the point, "And so you have. But until this point I was unaware of where those two intersected."
"Now you do," Alema tone was glacial.
Vergere's eyes sparkled. "Now I do."
|-()-|V|-()-|
Anja Gallandro flew in a heavily modified A-wing, one of many in the fleet of the Smuggler's Alliance, alongside the command-ship of their ragtag fleet, the Millennium Falcon. Captain Han Solo, who adopted the rank for the purposes of the mission, led the Errant Venture and the various ships of the Smuggler's Alliance into the blazing battle field with a purpose. Their hodgepodge mix of vessels had dropped out of hyperspace right beside one of the larger Yuuzhan Vong battle groups. Not exactly the safest place to be. Despite Han Solo's orders directing the fleet to a set of coordinates to help the other New Republic task forces, the nearby Yuuzhan Vong battle group was already turning to engage.
"Great," Anja muttered to herself, finally feeling some amount of apprehension as she took in the sheer size of the incoming enemy forces. She didn't think it was possible to blot out an entire section of space like the Yuuzhan Vong were doing, but there it was in front of her; a literal wall of organic vessels bearing down on them.
"This is Captain Solo. We can't hope to match the enemy with numbers or firepower, so we'll have to make use of speed, flexibility, and-tactical brilliance."
Anja winced at the last part. Tactical brilliance and Han Solo didn't exactly go well together. She knew the man well, and knew he normally got by with sheer dumb luck and a ton of improvisation. Their arrival had drawn in the attention of a yet to be committed battle group, meaning that their mismatched ships and fighters had to deal with this new threat all by themselves. On the bright side, the New Republic forces wouldn't be bothered by this particular group of Vong. On the down side, the Smuggler's Alliance wasn't exactly designed to wage a fleet-to-fleet battle. Anja took another look at the approaching fleet before ensuring that her modified fighter was ready for combat.
The RZ-1 A-wing interceptor had been stripped down and had parts moved all over the place. Its guns were now located on the underbelly of the craft, towards the nose. The fighter's signature twin stabilizing fins above and below the engines had been removed completely. The fighter's jamming relay had been removed, since it was useless against Yuuzhan Vong anyways, and the sensor arrays had been moved back into its place. This meant that the blocky M-shaped nose-cone had been completely eliminated from the fighter, and that the tips of the bottom two laser cannons stuck out from beneath the wedge-shaped nose. It was as if the previous owner had been trying to create the galaxy's fastest, sleekest, racing fighter. Only, the owner forgot to add better inertial dampeners to compensate for the added speed. She had all the speed of a TIE Interceptor, maybe even a coralskipper, and none of the firepower or stability.
But that didn't matter to Anja.
Swallowing, she glanced at the distant swarms of New Republic fighters mingling with the numerically superior coralskippers. Somewhere in that melee were her friends.
"Contraband squadron up and running," Anja reported as similarly modified snubfighters settled in around her. "Let's burn Vong and then save some Jedi butt."
|-()-|VI|-()-|
Anakin felt the Ralroost shake from another hit, but his mind was elsewhere. No longer having to worry about an enemy fighter dropping in behind him, he had taken on a new role in the meld. While Jedi like Madurrin maintained the more tactical aspect of the meld, Anakin was attempting something new. He was seated on the deck of the bridge—Admiral Kre'fey in the background screaming for the New Republic fleet to hammer the Yuuzhan Vong with everything they had—with the lambent crystal in his lap.
He so far had never had any luck combining his Vongsense with anything Force related. It was as if one required him to open his eyes while the other needed him to close them. He just couldn't do both at the same time.
Or could he?
Was it possible to 'wink,' keeping one eye open and the other closed? Countless attempts to wink before were unsuccessful. At most, he couldn't sense anything through both the Force and Vongsense as they canceled each other out. At worst, he succeed in giving himself a throbbing headache and bloody nose. Yet, with the odds stacked against them, and more Vong in one place than ever, Anakin supposed now was a good time to try again. In all his other attempts, there had only been the Freed Ones onboard the ships to sense. Perhaps with a greater Yuuzhan Vong presence, and the presence of the other Jedi in the meld, it would work.
It was a harmless gamble, if it didn't work, they really weren't any worse than they started off. But if it did work, the Jedi in the meld would soon see the Yuuzhan Vong as he was able to, albeit only temporarily. He only hoped they weren't too startled by this new revelation.
Despite the screaming of Admiral Kre'fey and the shaking of the ship, Anakin tuned it all out and delved deep into the Jedi meld. He anchored a part of his mind with the senses of the other Jedi. Everything they saw, he saw. Everything they felt—every cut, every drop of sweat, every aching limb—he felt. The tangy copper taste of blood, of a smoke filled cockpit. The situational awareness of the other Jedi. He sensed the curiosity of Madurrin and the others who had enough time to wonder what he was doing. Anakin gave them an equivalent of a wave, then returned to his task. He felt, saw, smelled, and tasted it all. Their thoughts were one.
Through it all, however, he allowed some part of his mind to retreat back to his body. He could feel the cold deck plating beneath him, hear the commotion in the background. He was both in the minds of the others and seated serenely aboard the Ralroost. Seated with his lambent lightsaber in his lap.
Breaking his concentration into two was a lot harder than Anakin thought it was. Already, he could feel the throbbing in his mind caused by his attempt. Yet, because he was in the meld, that throbbing was bled away. The Force remained present in the other Jedi, keeping Anakin's mind Force-aware. While the meld anchored him in the Force, Anakin then proceeded to link up with his lambent.
His connection with the Force threatened to drop out as the universe of the Yuuzhan Vong was opened up to him. But, like an image in the corner of one's eyes, it remained. A small smile formed on Anakin's lips at the briefest of successes. Just maintaining a link to the Force while connecting to his lambent was further than he had ever gotten before. He quickly focused on the Yuuzhan Vong, the alien warmth that their presences created in his Vongsense. There was more than enough Yuuzhan Vong in the immediate area that he didn't have to try to focus on any one location. That alone allowed him to maintain his Vongsense on the broadest of levels. It was a new feeling. On one hand, they were nothing more than abscesses in the Force, blots of wrongness. On the other, however, his Vongsense was overlaying a sense of rightness, of being, over these voids in the Force. The movements of their ships, of their warriors and pilots, where they were once indiscernible outside what one could recognize visually, could now be tracked in the Force.
Success.
Gift for you all. Anakin thought, his satisfaction and delight rippling through the meld. Where he had been using the senses of the others to anchor himself, he now projected his own perceptions through the meld. And the effects were instantaneous.
|-()-|VII|-()-|
Jaina let out a gasp as her brother's understanding of the battlefield flooded her mind. In an instant, she could predict where the coralskipper in front of her was going to go before it even started in that direction. She could see where the voids it was going to throw up would appear before they even appeared. Both the mind of the pilot and the coralskipper were still unknowns, but she could still sense their intentions. Shaking her head in disbelief, she fired off her lasers towards an area of unoccupied space. And as if she was seeing a vid for a second time, the coralskipper inadvertently banked right into the lasers. The destructive beams of energy were timed just right and slipped by the void defenses, turning the alien fighter into a burning hulk.
A niggling warning from Lowbacca, and Jaina quickly thumbed her comlink. Without seeing the coralskippers, she was somehow aware of their approaching presences. "Three, watch it! Fighters coming around on your tail!"
"I don't see any…wait! I see them now. Thanks leader!"
She, Jacen, Lowbacca, and Tesar began mowing down coralskippers with impunity. Being able to sense the Yuuzhan Vong, albeit in a limited fashion, was a great improvement over before. From the relief and grim satisfaction echoing through the meld, it was clear that the other Jedi were enjoying their new found perceptions as well.
Can't hold it for much longer. Anakin's thoughts were suddenly projected through the meld.
Jaina had an image of her brother seated in the bridge of the Ralroost, but with a trickle of blood running from his nose. She cursed and took her frustrations out on another coralskipper. Even outside of his fighter he still somehow found a way to get himself hurt.
From the indignant and disbelieving anger coming from Tahiri, it was clear Anakin was going to be in for a world of trouble once the battle was over.
Hold it as long as you can. Jaina sent back. We'll do our best in the time you can give us.
And as the second ticked by, the Jedi pilots all across the battle field did indeed put the time to good use. Madurrin used her tactical abilities in the meld to coordinate the destruction of several Yuuzhan Vong cruisers, while Kyp's Dozen and the Barabels of Wild Knight gleefully hunted down any Yuuzhan Vong in their path.
"Lead, I'm going to try and help prolong Anakin's work, cover me," Jacen's voice came over the comm.
"Roger that," Jaina quickly ordered the rest of the squadron around his fighter as Jacen's presence in the meld become more pronounced. She may not have be able to sense the Vong like her brothers, but she could most definitely help to kill them. She was a sword after all, leave all the touchy-feely business to the heart and mind of the Jedi.
For the next few minutes, the Jedi and the forces they led operated with eerie efficiency against the Yuuzhan Vong. Their enhanced perceptions came at the perfect time, enabling entire elements of the New Republic fleet to turn the tide in several places along the battle field. To the Yuuzhan Vong, it looked as if their enemies were suddenly being coordinated by a yammosk. Every change their own yammosk made to their positions, every move, and every strategy they had, were countered before they were even implemented. During those few minutes, the casualty rates favored the New Republic by a drastic ratio of nearly twenty to one.
Though Jacen's presence boosted the meld's fading perceptions of the Vong, it was clear that Anakin had reached his limit. And as he pulled out of the meld, with it went the joint awareness of both the Force and Vongsense. Still, the damage to the Yuuzhan Vong had been done, and several elements of their main battle groups were already pulling back.
Not that it mattered.
A new, blazing Force-presence entered the meld, Luke Skywalker had joined the battle. His presence was coupled by the arrival Waxarn Kel and the all-Jedi squadron, Death Knights. Behind them were several dozen additional capital ships, the rest of the New Republic forces; still fresh and ready for battle. At the same time, what the Yuuzhan Vong thought were navigational beacons, began broadcasting their subversive message. The trap was now sprung and the fate of the fleet of Tsavong Lah was sealed.
|-()-|VIII|-()-|
Tsavong Lah was furious. He was apocalyptic. And all of his rage was directed towards a certain Executor; may Nom Anor's be flayed alive and trampled by rakamats. His rage hadn't been helped any by the several dozen dead individuals that now littered the bridge of his ship. A band of Shamed Ones and lower ranking warriors had tried to seize the bridge by force, had killed most of its crew and warriors on guard. The traitors had all been slaughtered without mercy, but the damage had been done. Control nodules and villip clusters were dead, as were the officers who manned them. A secondary command unit was already settling in, but the attack had also destroyed a majority of the cognition hoods. Even the blazebug niche had fallen victim to a blastbug, leaving their ship blind to the engagement going on around them.
The blazebug's last image, though, had burned itself into Tsavong Lah's mind. It showed a system completely filled with double-images, indicating that there were more enemy ships around them than blazebugs in the niche. His forces were outnumbered, out of position, and if the assault on the bridge was anything to go by, falling victim to the treacherous actions of the Shamed Ones and their heretic allies. Of all the things Nom Anor and the priestly caste had to be right about, the danger presented by the rebel Shamed Ones was not something Tsavong Lah was currently appreciative of.
All of the battle groups save his own, that of Yun-Yuuzhan, were currently occupied. The Battle Group of Yun-Yammka was being churned apart by the initial enemy squadron, Yun-Q'aah was bogged down by the surprising agile irregular force, and the Yun-Harla and Yun-Txiin battle groups were fully engaged with the new arrivals and the first of the initial reinforcing fleets the infidels had brought in.
With certain death at hand, there was really only one option left. If he took his own battle group into battle to aid the Battle Group of Yun-Harla and Yun-Txiin and defeated the enemy forces there, they had a narrow chance at forcing a victory. Vigorously stomping on the skull of one of the traitor warriors, Tsavong Lah barked out the order and his forces screamed into battle.
|-()-|IX|-()-|
As far as things went, the Twin Suns, Barefoots, and Vanguards were in relatively good shape. Anakin's introduction of his Vongsense into the battlemeld couldn't have come at a better time. Just when things were looking grim, the ability to sense the Vong's movements had enabled the Force sensitive pilots to get their squadmates out of the jam.
Though Twin Suns was down to eight starfighters, only one pilot had actually been killed, the rest had made it to safety. Lowbacca's fighter was intact and unscathed, and both Tesar's and Jaina only had a light amount of damage. The others were in a similar state, thanks to the extra cover provided by the Barefoots and Vanguards. The Twin Suns had expended all of their bombs and missiles, but at the same time were in prime fighting condition. They were also reinforced by the remaining Barefoots and Vanguards who were likewise in fighting shape.
Which was rather pointless at the moment because they had run out of targets. The larger battle had passed them by, and the fighter-to-fighter dogfights was over in their area. The only fighters near them were friendlies. The only coralskippers by them were either in pieces or no longer flying under their own power.
Through the meld, Jaina could still feel others in combat, their concentration firmly entrenched in the life-or-death situation in front of them.
"I know what you're thinking Jaina," her twin warned her over a private channel. "Our fighters may be in one piece, but we're out of missiles and suffering fatigue. Not all of our squadmates can use the Force to refresh themselves."
The meld was in agreement with Jacen. And Jaina was about to argue when her other brother spoke up. "It's time to let the others be the hero this time, Jaya. Get to cover."
Hearing words her own words repeated back to her, Jaina let out a resigned sigh and relented. "Ebaq Nine Control. This is Twin Suns Leader, request permission to withdraw."
"Permission granted, Twin Suns Lead. Good job out there"
Jaina leaned back into her chair, finally relaxing her grip on the steering column. "Barefoots, Vanguard thanks for the assist."
"Good luck," Jagged sent, his Clawcraft settling beside her snubfighter.
"It was fun flying with you," Tahiri said, sounding tired but positive. "We'll see you to the door."
Just as weary as the young blond, but similarly optimistic, Jaina smiled faintly and turned her craft towards safety.
But the safety of Ebaq Nine wouldn't last.
|-()-|X|-()-|
Tsavong Lah knew that his fleet was going down in flames. That his plan for a narrow victory had failed. With victory out of the question, he wracked his mind for some idea. And then it struck him. If he was going down, he would take the pride and joy of the New Republic and Jeedai with him. A sacrifice to bring with him to the gods.
"Alter course at once for Ebaq Nine!" He commanded. "Order all ships to head for the moon at maximum acceleration!"
At once, every Yuuzhan Vong ship broke their engagement and altered course at full speed. Several were destroyed in the process, but the sheer number of ships heading towards the moon was too much for the surprised New Republic force to counter.
Tsavong Lah gripped the hand-rests of his throne grimly. He would die today, but so would Jaina Solo and the Jeedai. At least he would die making a name worthy of a servant for Yun-Yuuzhan and Yun-Yammka.
|-()-|XI|-()-|
"This is Solo. It's up to us to hold the Vong until our people can catch up and finish them off. Everyone pick your targets carefully—this will not be fun." Anja winced at the announcement from Han Solo, but at the same time understood the necessity.
Only two half-strength squadrons were between Twin Suns and the Yuuzhan Vong onslaught. The Smuggler's Alliance fleet was the nearest fleet that had the slimmest chance of running interference. As Anja guided her A-wing towards a patch of coralskippers, a flare of pain shot through her spine. It wasn't the worst she had felt, so she gritted her teeth to endure it. She couldn't afford the numbing relief brought by her implant and she definitely wasn't going to let the Vong reach Jacen and Jaina.
|-()-|XII|-()-|
Tahiri grimaced as the Yuuzhan Vong broke their standard tactics for an all-out rush towards her and Jagged's squadron. Or what was left of them. Barefoots had two pilots dead, and four out of commission. The Vanguards were a reverse of that, with four dead and two out of commission. Twelve fighters against the horde of Yuuzhan Vong was not good odds.
"Vanguards and Barefoots, you have permission to dock in the secondary hangar," Ebaq 9 Control said urgently. "Orders from General Farlander, you are to join Twin Suns groundside."
Glancing at the Yuuzhan Vong fleet, Tahiri nodded and swallowed, trying to wet her dry mouth. "Barefoot Leader copies, thanks for the shelter."
|-()-|XIII|-()-|
"Your brother, sister, and girlfriend are all on Ebaq Nine and you're not rushing to their rescue?" Zekk said from beside Anakin.
"What can I do in one fighter?" Anakin shot back, curling his fists in frustration as he watched the mass of Yuuzhan Vong ships outrun the New Republic vessels. "And introducing Vongsense into the meld again is pointless because the Yuuzhan Vong are so far ahead."
The Smuggler's Alliance fleet was steadily sending one ship after another away from the engagement, but it wasn't nearly enough.
"The Anakin I knew would be coming up with some type of plan instead of panicking," Zekk pointed out, though he too looked grim.
"The Anakin you knew learned that rushing off will only get himself or others killed," Anakin retorted. "Nothing I come up with will get us to Ebaq Nine in time."
Zekk gripped one of the railings on the bridge and clenched his jaw. "So Jaina and the others are on their own then?"
Anakin felt an acid-like burning sensation in his gut as he nodded. He hated feeling so helpless. The last time he felt the way he did was back on Myrkr. If history decided to repeat itself...Anakin ended that thought and reached out for Jaina, Jacen, and Tahiri. He did his best to reinforce their bravery and strength through the Force, but it was the only thing he could do. He was just too far away and there was too little time.
Little did he know that the cogs he and Tahiri had set in motion were finally began to turn in earnest.
|-()-|XIV|-()-|
Tsavong Lah howled in triumph as the Battle Group of Yun-Yuuzhan, completely unmolested, drew near to Ebaq 9. His maneuver had caught the New Republic completely by surprise. While the rest of his fleet held off the New Republic force from their new position, his own battle group would have the honor of slaying many Jedi.
"Open fire on the shields!" He commanded, directing an additional two vessels to ram themselves into the command center of the base. When the first few ships failed to bring down the energy shield, he simply ordered more to immolate themselves.
"Warmaster, the Battle Group of Yun-Txiin and that of Yun-Harla have been destroyed to the point of ineffectiveness!" One of the new villip operators called out. "The Battle Group of Yun-Yammka is no more, and the Battle Group of Yun-Q'aah is taking heavy losses."
Without the blazebug niche, Tsavong Lah had been unaware of just how bad things had gotten. With a snarl, he stalked over to the villip cluster. "Attention all other battle groups! Once our troops are down on Ebaq, you are commanded to withdraw into…"
An explosion rocked their ship and hurled Tsavong Lah off his feet. Had the infidels caught up with them already?
"Warmaster! Several ships of Battle Group Yun-Yuuzhan have opened fire on us! We are taking significant damage!"
"What?" Tsavong Lah's bellow was full of rage.
"The first volley took our primary dovin basal off guard. It was destroyed in the attack," another officer said.
Tsavong Lah cursed. "Prepare the oggzil."
The oggzil, which when bound to a villip, allowed the villip to broadcast on New Republic frequencies, was handed over to the Warmaster. "This is Warmaster Tsavong Lah. You are too late to stop the death of the Jeedai on Ebaq Nine. There will be a reward for every head brought back. Those who wish to join the hunt are more than welcome."
He ended the communication and shoved the oggzil back into his subordinate's hands. He had fifty thousand warriors in the troopships under his command. Or should have fifty thousand.
"Great One! The traitors are targeting our troop ships! The rest of the fleet is trying to target the traitors but several yaret-kor on different ships are also firing on friendly vessels."
Tsavong Lah growled dangerously. "Order all troopships to land and have the rest of the fleet flee. We will kill Jeedai today. And if the gods allow it, we will return and slaughter the traitors and hand their skins to Shimrra himself."
"Yes, Warmaster," the subaltern clasped his hand over his chest and moved to give the order.
"And what of the other Battle Groups? Are they away yet?"
The officer he addressed didn't seem eager to respond. "Warmaster. The order to retreat was given too late. Only several ships survived from the Battle Group of Yun-Harla, but they are working in concert with the infidels. Half of what was left of the Battle Group of Yun-Txiin managed to jump to hyperspace…"
"But?" Tsavong prompted, his teeth grinding as their ship was rocked again by treacherous fire.
"Before they were all destroyed, they reported mines. Nothing is left of them either."
"And the Battle Group of Yun-Q'aah?" Tsavong said, now dreading the answer.
"Traitors in that battle group delayed their jump just long enough for the New Republic fleet to overwhelm them. Any ships left are in the infidel's hands."
Tsavong Lah bit down on his tongue, the coppery taste of his blood mingling with the bitter taste of absolute failure. It had taken months of troop movements and training to return the fleet to its full compliment. Yet in a single battle, it had been wiped out. The only survivors would be that of his own battle group, a mere sliver of a fraction of the forces he had brought with him. Even then, the heretics and traitors were shooting the battle group apart.
"Status of the troopships?"
Again the officer looked nauseated at the news he had to report. "Only a third made it down to the surface, Warmaster. When they started their movements, the traitors focused their fire on them, even sacrificing themselves to destroy the troopships. Reports on the ground suggest that anti-personnel mines are slaughtering those that enter the facility."
"We have a confirmation that the shields have been brought down," a subaltern reported, sounding relieved to have something positive to say.
Tsavong Lah nodded at the news and gripped his own amphistaff. "Very well. I will lead the warriors from our ship down. Hold this position for as long as you can, then retreat."
"Yes, Warmaster."
Tsavong Lah walked out of the bridge of what had been his command ship for over a quarter of a century, knowing full well that it would be the last time he would ever see it.
|-()-|XV|-()-|
Tahiri's breathing was harsh and ragged as the howls of the voxyn grew nearer. Her anxiety was only increased by the sped up heart-rates of Jaina, Jacen, Lowbacca, and Tesar in front of her. The non-Force sensitive pilots were all gathered behind them, gazing apprehensively at the thick blast door that was supposed to protect all of them from the approaching Yuuzhan Vong force.
All were wearing vacuum-sealed suits, knowing that the only thing protecting them from the coldness of space was a few meters of rock. Tahiri hated the suits because they were so confining, especially at her feet. As someone who hated shoes, the heavy metallic boots were probably the worst possible footwear she could have. Then again, it was better than freezing her toes off.
"The Yuuzhan Vong are getting clozer," Tesar hissed.
"Remind me to tell high command how much I hate their battle plan," Jaina agreed.
"Tunnels, why are we always getting chased through tunnels?" Tahiri muttered, echoes of Myrkr reverberating through the meld.
"[How many Vong do you think are chasing us this time? Several hundred?]"
"Several thousand is more like it," Tahiri answered Lowbacca, using her Vongsense. "Plus about a dozen or so voxyn."
"Great," Jaina grumbled. "Scratch my previous reminder. Instead, remind me to leave a holo for high command scolding them for thinking up a battle plan that got us killed."
"The voxyn the Yuuzhan Vong have with them probably won't survive another couple of days, they're very sick," Jacen said, his eyes closed in concentration.
"You do know that you're making us other Jedi look bad by sitting calm and collected like that, right?" Tahiri said faintly.
Jacen's eyes suddenly flew open. "Get away from the walls! They're coming around the door."
The pilots and the other Jedi quickly moved deeper down the mine shaft. During their retreat, all they heard was silence. Then, the unmistakable sound of a wall collapsing clambered loudly through the darkness, soon followed by the guttural yells of the Yuuzhan Vong.
Tahiri blinked several times. "Warmaster Tsavong Lah is with them."
Jaina stared at the blond in the darkness of the cave. "Are you certain?"
Tahiri listened to the orders being barked, then nodded. "Dead certain."
"[Not exactly the best choice of words]." Lowbacca growled mournfully.
"Nowz the time to uze the mines, correct?" Tesar said, sharp eyes gazing in the direction of the commotion.
"A few of them," Jaina nodded. "Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and one of them will take out the Warmaster."
|-()-|XVI|-()-|
As the warriors worked at the top of the mine shaft, allowing their lumbering, rock-eating grutchyna to dig, they were unaware of the new disaster about to befall them.
"Warmaster!" A subaltern called out in panic, scrambling and pushing his way through the ranks of the warriors, waving a oggzil in the air. "Warmaster!"
"What is it?"
"The traitors are destroyed…" The subaltern took a deep breath as he struggled to get oxygen into his lungs in the nearly non-existent atmosphere of the moon. "The traitors are destroyed but they left a gap in our lines. A single infidel fighter has broken through!"
"It is a single fighter, shoot it down."
"It is too fast and the ships are out of position," the subaltern wailed. "It's heading straight for here!"
|-()-|XVII|-()-|
Anja Gallandro was nearly comatose by the blinding pain wracking her body. All of her nerve endings were firing off at once as she struggled to keep her ship on course. She had seen the hole in the enemy formation and shot through it at a speed only her modified A-wing could make. Plasma flashes lit up the space all around her, but she was long past caring. The moon grew closer and she could make out the individual troopships that had landed.
Somewhere on that dead piece of space rock were most of her friends; surrounded and outnumbered by Vong. Her engines began to redline as she pushed them even further pass their safe levels. She had lost much over the course of her young life and wasn't ready to lose friends who were even younger than her. People who taught her the true meaning of what it meant to have friends. Friends who had helped her gain a fresh start and hadn't held any grudges despite her betrayal of them.
The alarms in the cockpit blared. Her fighter began vibrating as it threatened to fly apart. Her engines whined as her rate of speed pushed them beyond their limits.
"Good luck, Ms. Gallandro." Lando's solemn voice came over the comm.
"You know me, boss," Anja gritted out, tears streaming down her face as she struggled with the all-encompassing pain. "Always did like to gamble."
"A woman after my own heart."
"You have Tendra for that."
"And who do you have young lady?"
"You," Anja choked out with a delirious laugh. "Lilmit. Jaina. Jacen." With every name, the moon grew nearer. "Lowie. Tenel Ka. Zekk."
Her course was locked in. Nothing could stop her now. She finally gave in to the pain and a spasming hand reached up and tapped her implant. Soothing relief flooded her system and her eyes fluttered close. Before she lost control of her ability to speak or move, she smiled. Silently, counting her breaths, the faces of her friends and the brightest moments of her life flickering through her mind.
Inhale, exhale.
She had had a good life. Her adventures with Jaina, Jacen, Zekk, and the others, were treasures she would never trade for anything.
Her chest rose and fell once more.
Her reconciliation with Han Solo and the Jedi had become the catalyst for her new outlook on life.
A third breath. Coming under Lando's employ.
Breath number four, it was shorter and quicker than the last. The adventures she then had with Lilmit.
Number five. Realizing that she had true friends for the first time. A family.
Happy tears streamed down her cheeks at that.
Six…
The many ships tracking Anja's path watched as a geyser of flame shot up and away from the moon's surface. Immediately following the blast, tens of thousands of Yuuzhan Vong were either sucked up into the vacuum of space or suffocated in the breach her fighter had created. Within twenty seconds, the thousands of Yuuzhan Vong on Ebaq Nine had passed out. Within minutes, they were all dead.
|-()-|XVIII|-()-|
Jaina and the others heard nothing after the initial reverberations echoed down the mineshaft. They had been well on their way to fortifying a defensive position for one last stand when they detected the sudden depressurization. The absolute silence, stillness, was unnerving.
"What just happened?" Jaina managed.
Jacen shook his head, his own eyes wide. "The Yuuzhan Vong, they're all gone."
"Gone?"
Jacen met her eyes seriously. "Dead."
"[How?]" Lowbacca warbled.
In answer to his question, the image of an A-wing flashing through the stars and ramming the topmost part of the mine-shaft appeared in their minds. The understanding that someone had sacrificed themselves for all of them didn't sit well.
Who was it, Little Brother? Jaina asked fearfully.
Anja.
The single word caused Jaina to double over as if she had been punched. No!
Jacen bowed his head in silent grief. A sorrowful cry was emitted by Lowbacca and their sorrow rippled through the Force meld.
"What is it?" whispered one of the other pilots.
Tahiri closed her eyes and reached out to Anakin, comforting herself with his presence. "A good friend of ours gave her life to breach the mineshaft. She's the reason why we're all still alive."
"Oh," the pilot said. "What was her name? Your friend?"
"Her name is Anja. Anja Gallandro," Jacen answered in a low, thick voice. "Probably one of the bravest friends we've ever had."
"Anja," the pilot nodded, and the name was echoed by the others. "We won't forget that name. Ever."
Jaina managed a tearful smile. "Neither will we."
|-()-|XIX|-()-|
Not all the Yuuzhan Vong had died. Just most. Rising out of the piles of dead were several imposing and heavily scarred forms. All were wearing their ooglith cloakers and gnullith to fend off both the cold and vacuum of space. They had already been wearing the life-saving creatures before the A-wing had hit. As part of the Blessed of Yun-Yammka, they were prepared for anything. The blast created by the infidel fighter had rocked the facility, and their dead or dying comrades had fallen on top of them.
They emerged from the mountain of dead, like vengeful wraiths in the cold darkness of space; ready for what they had come to Ebaq 9 to do, to hunt and kill Jeedai.
Standing in the center of their formation was another scarred warrior, the Warmaster Tsavong Lah himself. A couple of subalterns had given their lives to place the gnullith and cloaker on him, and he too had the fortune to survive the blast.
Now, the last five living Yuuzhan Vong on Ebaq 9 readied their arsenal of weapons, picking up supplies from the dead. Amphistaffs were all dead, but frozen in useful positions. It did not really matter anyways as the bodies of the Blessed of Yun-Yammka were literally weapons anyways. Once they had assessed their supplies and found themselves in readiness, they nodded grimly and resettled themselves amongst the dead.
There they would wait for the Jeedai to rise back up from the mine shaft. Rise up and into their doom.
|-()-|XX|-()-|
The loadlifters ground to a halt. Tired, yet elated, the Jedi and non-Jedi pilots stumbled out. It was only a split second, but in that instant, three of the pilots with them had been impaled by thrown amphistaffs. Lowbacca also suffered a suit breach and a serious wound when an amphistaff ripped into his shoulder and pinned him against the loadlifter. Another wave of amphistaffs flew towards the startled party, but both Jacen and Tahiri had picked up on it and pulled in two large slabs of fallen rock. The second wave of amphistaffs thudded against the rock, and then a third. In that time, the group formed a protective rank around the impaled pilots, frantically trying to keep them alive.
"How many?" Jaina asked through their helmet's radio set, immobilized by globs of rapidly hardening blorash jelly.
"Four, no five," Jacen said, peering through the slight gap between the rocks he and Tahiri had brought in as shields. "It looks like Tsavong Lah is still one of the living."
"The rest are Khattazz'Yammka," Tahiri said grimly, feeling more constricted than ever in her vac suit.
"Supervong?" Jaina clarified, pulling out her lightsaber.
"Supervong," Tahiri nodded, doing the same. It was a pity and a blessing that she had left her amphistaff in Shaeri's care. Had she brought it with her, it would have frozen, just like all the others, in the breach of the mine shaft. But at the same time, she had grown used to having it when she fought.
"Of courz they would be the onez who survived," Tesar hissed, trying to stem the flow of oxygen from Lowbacca's suit. "You will have to hold off the Vong. This one must patch up Lowie. He'z losing air."
Jaina glanced over her shoulder worried as Lowbacca weakly growled in reassurance. "[I'll be fine, concentrate on the supervong.]"
The bombardment of amphistaffs ended, and two of the surviving Yuuzhan Vong burst through the rock barricades with guttural shouts. The sounds were barely audible in the near vacuum-atmosphere they were in, but the intent was clear enough.
Immediately both Tahiri and Jacen engaged the warriors, their lightsabers flashing against meter-long blades emerging. The other warriors charged as well, and the surviving New Republic pilots fired a storm of blaster bolts. Yet the Yuuzhan Vong continued to come. Tahiri and Jacen were forced to pick up a second opponent to defend the others, too busy trying to stay alive to worry about the last Yuuzhan Vong survivor.
|-()-|XXI|-()-|
Tsavong Lah was among the warriors trying to flank Jacen, wanting to at least kill one of the heretical twins. He nimbly danced out of the way of the storm of red energy and lunged at Jacen's back with a frozen amphistaff. Another piece of rock flew through the air and hit the amphistaff head on, shattering it.
Tsavong Lah calmly looked in the direction of the other Jeedai and saw the other twin glaring at him, slowly shaking her head in the protective suit she was wearing. Tsavong Lah picked up a fallen amphistaff and began to confidently approach the immobilized Jedi. She could be first then if she was so eager for death.
"Warmaster!"
Tsavong Lah spun back around and barely stopped a jagged blue beam of energy from slicing his own head off. The smaller female Jedi, to the Warmaster's rage, assumed a Yuuzhan Vong fighting stance, treating her lightsaber like a straightened amphistaff. Her grip on the hilt slid from bottom to top so it looked as if the beam of energy was coming straight from her hand. While her knees were slightly bent as she swayed back and forth with her lightsaber, like a lumen reed in the wind.
Behind her, one of the surviving Khattazz'Yammka had joined his dead brethren on the ground. The other had been engaged by Jacen Solo, so that the Jedi now held off three of Yun-Yammka's elite with the aid of blaster fire from the other pilots.
It was just Tsavong Lah and this smaller Jeedai who dared to mock the fighting styles of the Yuuzhan Vong.
Tsavong Lah lunged forward with his amphistaff. The Jeedai swayed out of the way and her lightsaber arched upwards in a crescent, narrowly missing the side of his head. The Warmaster batted it aside and tried to body-check the ill-balanced Jeedai. Yet, despite the fact that she was in an ungainly vac suit, the Jeedai gracefully pirouetted around him. Tsavong's Lah lashed out with his amphistaff, the motion a blur to most, but it sailed through air. Instead, he felt an upwards impact just below one of his knees. When coupled with the light gravity of the moon, Tsavong Lah was sent floating up and backwards.
The Warmaster slashed at the blue blade that sliced upwards to meet him. When he reached the ceiling, he pushed off and propelled himself back down to the ground. The Jeedai was waiting for him, pouncing like a voxyn on its prey. He fended off her series of odd-angled blows, many of which cut into the rock wall behind him. When he had had enough of her foolishness, her mocking of a Yuuzhan Vong fighting style, he vigorously slammed aside her next attack and went on the offensive.
It was as if the Jeedai expected it. She instead took a step back and reached out with one hand, as if trying to grab something in the air. A loud cracking sound snapped through the thin atmosphere, and Tsavong Lah whirled behind him in alarm. The entire wall of rock was giving away, with massive boulders and debris bouncing both downwards and back out into space. He backed away quickly lest he be crushed by the falling debris.
A motion out of the corner of his eye, and Tsavong Lah whirled back around only to find himself face to face with Jaina Solo and her purple blade. The blorash jelly had obviously succumbed to the coldness of space, freeing the second of the two twins.
"Surprise, Warmaster," Jaina said mockingly.
Tsavong Lah's lips curled distastefully. Then a blinding pain erupted through his mid-section. Looking down, he saw the tip of a blue saber emerging from his chest just above his collar bone. He weakly looked over his shoulder and saw the blond Jeedai behind him. She was facing away from him, bent on one knee, with her saber thrust behind her. Behind her and into the small of his back at an upwards angle, burning apart his internal organs and bypassing his vonduun crab armor completely.
Jaina gave him a single nod of satisfaction, before her own saber broke the lock with his amphistaff, whirled around, and removed his head.
|-()-|XXII|-()-|
While Tahiri, and then Jaina, occupied the Warmaster, Jacen was in for the fight of his life. He supposed he should be thankful to Tahiri for dispatching at least one of the warriors before leaving to engage Tsavong, but he was still left with three. At first it seemed like they would overwhelm him with sheer power alone. But then Jacen remembered the feeling in the meld, of being able to sense the intentions of the Yuuzhan Vong and their ships. He tapped into his Vongsense, all the while trying to both avoid being impaled but keep the attention of the three warriors so the others would have time to do something.
With Vongsense and the relative lack of distance between them, Jacen could easily see the Yuuzhan Vong, feel their presence. He tried to recall what it felt like to sense their intentions, to see them move before they actually moved. But, despite clearly remembering what the sensations in the meld had felt like, he couldn't make that jump. The Yuuzhan Vong and their intentions still remained outside of his ability to sense. Still remained a presence that simply just was. He could follow their movements, see them with his eyes and Vongsense, yet he couldn't recreate the unique sense Anakin had introduced into the meld.
Jacen frowned. How was that possible? In terms of Force potential, he had more than Anakin after absorbing the nexus of the Jedi temple, so Force strength wasn't the answer. Both of them used Vongsense, albeit with different philosophies. Was it their philosophies that allowed Anakin to sense the Vong in ways he couldn't? It didn't seem to make sense. How could a difference in opinion lead to such a drastic difference in one's ability to use the Force, to use Vongsense?
An amphistaff narrowly sliced into his vac-suit and Jacen returned his full attention to the battle. The blaster fire from the pilots had finally felled another warrior. Jacen banished his thoughts for another time and focused on the remaining two warriors. Abandoning any further attempt to read their intentions with Vongsense, he concentrated solely on what he could see and sense.
He was just getting into a new rhythm, no longer losing ground to their attacks, when a purple blade emerged from the throat of one warrior and a blue blade emerged from the throat of the other. Both warriors flopped to the ground, and silence fell once more.
Everyone was breathing heavily, wide-eyed at the unexpected battle and the outcome.
"How are the wounded?" Jaina finally said, looking to Jagged.
Jagged looked up, keeping pressure over a suit rupture on one of the Vanguard pilots. "The amphistaffs have pierced vital organs. If we remove them without a skilled healer nearby, the pilots will bleed out."
"Lowie's suit iz patched," Tesar reported. "But he'z lost a lot of blood. We are fortunate that the amphistaff just missed the heart."
Jaina couldn't suppress the shudder that came at the outcome of the alternative. They had already lost Anja. Losing another friend in one day wouldn't make this victory worth it, no matter if they had killed Tsavong and destroyed his fleet. Too many people had already died. She was thankful of the Force for small mercies. "We can use the Force-meld for now to sustain them. Let Uncle Luke know what's happened."
|-()-|XXIII|-()-|
With Jaina handling the coordination necessary for a retrieval ship and various medical supplies, both Tahiri and Jacen were further away from the others, crouched over Tsavong Lah's still form.
"Something bothering you, Jacen?" Tahiri said, lightly nudging him with the heavy glove of her vac suit.
"You can use Vongsense too?" Jacen asked.
"Barely," Tahiri shrugged. "Anakin's still teaching me the basics."
"And the approach you take..."
"Acceptance," Tahiri said. "I work with the Yuuzhan Vong part of me."
Jacen looked pensive. "Just like Anakin."
"Yeah. Come on, what's really on your mind?"
Jacen regard Tahiri with a brief flick of his eyes, then looked back down at Tsavong's corpse. "I wasn't able to do it."
"Do it?"
"To sense the intentions of Tsavong and the others through the Force, like what Anakin did in the meld. I completely missed the fact that they survived and I could barely keep up with them."
"You're jealous?" Tahiri tilted her head.
Jacen shook his head. "Not jealous. Confused. What does Anakin do differently? How does he manage to take this unknown, the Vongsense, and improve on it?"
"Why don't you ask him about it when we get back?"
Again Jacen shook his head. "I thinks it's something I have to find out for myself. It's one thing to be told the answer, but it is another thing to understand it. Anakin's understanding of the Yuuzhan Vong and their relationship to the Force goes far beyond the others. Apart from him, only Vergere would know so much about them and their special connection."
Tahiri idly kicked a small pebble away. "I don't think there's anything special about the connection. It's only because the Jedi can't sense the Yuuzhan Vong in the Force that they fear them, refuse to take the steps to understand them. The way Anakin explained it to me, the Yuuzhan Vong aren't outside of the Force. They are just outside of our own ability to perceive them. To use his analogy, it's like how a human can only perceive certain wavelengths of light. When we want to look at something in the infrared or ultraviolet, we use technology to help us do so. The connection we have to the Yuuzhan Vong, whether it's slave implants or lambent, acts as a similar filter. We simply have to learn how to see the world of the Yuuzhan Vong through the part of their galaxy we are bonded to."
"Tahiri," Jacen said slowly. "I need an honest answer. Do you believe that I can replicate Anakin's feat; be able to sense the Yuuzhan Vong through Vongsense and through the Force?"
Tahiri's green eyes cooled marginally as she stared into Jacen's brown eyes through the clear material of their helmets. The stare was long and thoughtful, scrutinizing, yet nonjudgmental. Eventually, Tahiri shook her head. "No."
For some reason, Jacen was not surprised by the answer, nor did he feel the disappointment he thought he would feel. "No?"
"You understand the Yuuzhan Vong through only one aspect of their life," Tahiri said slowly, her head bowed as if she was too uncomfortable to look at him. "You know them through their pain, through the life of a slave. Even then, that moment was brief. You know them through war, through their propaganda and that of our own side. You cannot possibly understand or accept the entirety of the Yuuzhan Vong and what it means to be one of the True Way after only those glimpses. It would be like living in a cave on Tatooine your whole life and believing you know everything there is to know about the desert. Yet, the sights that pass before you, the immediate sands around your cave, make up your only knowledge of the desert. You strive to know more, but at the same time, your mind's been closed off believing it's learned all it needs to know. You're an expert at that small part of the desert. Outside of it, you are lost."
Jacen bowed his own head in contemplation at Tahiri's words, feeling an odd sense of detachment. They were true in many ways. Vergere herself had told him that the knowledge he had had of the Yuuzhan Vong was incomplete. Perhaps. Perhaps it was time to learn more. It would be a while before the Yuuzhan Vong recovered from their losses. Plenty of time to learn more about both himself and the Yuuzhan Vong. He smiled faintly at an apprehensive Tahiri. "Thanks. I wanted an honest opinion and I'm glad you gave me one."
"Yeah," Tahiri said with a hesitant smile. "Sorry if it came out too rough or anything. I mean, you're powerful and can sense Yuuzhan Vong. That's more than most other Jedi can do."
"And evidently my little brother can do more," Jacen said throwing his hands up good-naturedly. "Will he ever find his limits?"
Tahiri shook her head. "If he ever does, he'll surpass it sooner or later."
"And you can keep up with someone like that?" Jacen rose an eyebrow.
"He knows I'm more than just his plucky sidekick if that's what you mean," Tahiri grinned. "Besides, I have my own squadron and, if Taan wasn't exaggerating about it, thousands of Yuuzhan Vong at my command. What does he have?"
"What does he have?" Jacen agreed, though his smile was partially forced as he asked himself that very question.
What did I have?
What was his own contribution to the war effort? Anakin led the mission to Myrkr, started a revolution that saw Luke replaced as the public head of the Jedi Order, helped defend Hapes with his own genius, even mounted a rescue mission to Coruscant and succeeded despite the odds. On top of that, Anakin's Vongsense had evidently surpassed what Jacen, the older brother, could do. Even Jaina had her own squadron and a respected position among both Jedi and the regular military.
He was the Conscience of the Jedi, supposedly the one who kept the Jedi on the straight and narrow.
A depressing thought worked its way into the back of his mind. It came before he could stop it. What if straight and narrow wasn't what the Order truly needed? Anakin had proven that things one might consider dark, was actually beneficial if used correctly. Even Vergere agreed that the Force was simply a tool, that intent determined whether it was light or dark. So if the straight and narrow wasn't exactly needed for the Order, where did that leave him? He once again tried to shove those thoughts into a corner of his mind, one that was rapidly growing with these unsettling questions.
If Jaina and Anakin had found their place in not only this war, but in the Order—if even Tahiri had found her place separate of Anakin's—then where did that leave him? What was his place in the galaxy?
As if sensing his self-doubts, his silent frustrations, a voice reached out to him from across star-systems, from across the galaxy. It was a soft, whisper of a voice, yet full of strength and certainty. Familiar yet alien. It filled him with both confidence, but also fear. He would later be unable to remember a single word of what the voice had to say, nor would he ever discover who the speaker was, but he supposed that it was for the best...
You wish to know your place, young Solo? Patience. In time, you will understand what it is you will have to do. Grandchild of Skywalker, you have a great destiny before you, one that only your shoulders can carry. But you shall not walk this path alone, my apprentice. For that is what you are, you are my apprentice unknowingly or not. I will guide you on your path, ensure that your destiny is realized. Ensure that the bitter taste of victories like that of Ebaq Nine are things of the past. When you finally assume your rightful place in this galaxy, when all that is yours is, and your enemies are laid low into the ground, this galaxy shall tremble at your name and will be yours to shape as you please. And I shall stand in the shadows, fading into obscurity as you bring about an everlasting darkness that will taint the galaxy for generations to come.
|-()-| Chapter End |-()-|
A\N: With that, the Destiny's Way arc draws to a close. Next update will be on Wednesday. It's another interlude, and I think you'll enjoy it a lot...well most of it anyways. Vergere will be getting a larger role in the story than in canon =). After a brief reply to my anon reviewers, the deleted scene of the chapter is next.
DragonJedi- Vergere might die in a cage, it might be when she's in a rage. She could bleed out in the war she''ll wage, or just choke to death on a sprig of sage. Could she croak from a poison beige, or will she die from an exploding gauge? She might even pass from a paper cut on a sharp sharp page. But no, oh no, she will not die of old, old age. On an unrelated note, would you, could you, go dark for green eggs and ham? =).
Darksabre- no apologies were needed, (now I feel bad!) I just wanted to bring those matters to your notice. And thanks for catching the Anja/Lilmit conversation error from the previous chapter. It's funny, I must have proofread that scene at least five times and never saw it. I'm really, really glad you're enjoying this story so much; of the 88 reviews, over a third of them are yours!
Deleted Scene:
One Deleted Scene for today. Would have taken place in the first chapter of the Destiny's Way arc.
*snip**snip*
"Listen up," Tahiri addressed at the ten other pilots, all fresh out of the academy.
Experienced pilots were a premium in the war, and even if she wasn't as good a pilot as Jaina or Kyp, she still had more time in an X-wing against the Yuuzhan Vong than all ten pilots before her. Twin Suns and Blackmoon Squadrons had been completely broken up to disperse the experienced pilots as much as possible. As part of Admiral Kre'fey's taskforce, Tahiri had been made a squadron leader aboard his flagship the Ralroost. Though she normally would have been intimidated by such a boost, her experience training the Freed Ones and the support Admiral Kre'fey gave her, kept her fully confident in ensuring that the ten other pilots had long happy lives. Of course, training people who didn't see you as the living incarnation of their gods would be a new experience.
"My name is Tahiri Kwaad. I'm from Tatooine. I think shoes are the worst thing that could ever be invented and I will require all of you to remove your shoes in our squad's common room so your poor feet will be freed. And yes, before you ask, the stories are true and I was captured and experimented on by the Vong. A cool side-affect is that I can now curse in two different languages. Your XO is Lieutenant Zindra Daine, someone you will go to if you're scared by little old me and want out; or if I'm not around and you have a question. Our jobs are to ensure you live through this campaign and beyond, so listen to us if you want to live, and ask questions if you have them."
"Ma'am," a male Bothan pilot stepped forward with military precision.
Tahiri took a moment to recall the white-furred Bothan's name. "Go ahead…Flight Officer Talcai. And just call me Tahiri."
"Tahiri," Talcai said slowly. "Is it true that the X-wing's shields are useless against Vong weaponry?"
"Yuuzhan Vong, ensign." Zindra answered. "And yes. Their plasma weapons eat right through the shield as if it wasn't even there. That's why you have to do your best not to get hit."
"Why 'Yuuzhan Vong', lieutenant?" Another pilot, a human male from Chandrilla, asked.
"It's a sign of respect, Flight Officer Mane" Zindra said calmly. "The Yuuzhan Vong are dangerous and skilled enemies, whose lethalness is not to be underestimated. Once you've flown and survived several encounters against them, then maybe we'll allow you to refer to them as 'Vong'. But, first you must learn to respect them, their way of life and death, before we'll allow you to insult them."
"But aren't we just going to kill them anyway?" A second human pilot spoke up. "What's the point about learning about the 'Yuuzhan Vong,' when all we need to know is how to kill them?"
"I'm glad you asked, Flight Officer Van," Tahiri smiled brightly. "For that question, we'll turn to our expert in Yuuzhan Vong culture, my good friend Shaeri."
Shaeri stepped out from behind the X-wing Tahiri and Zindra were standing in front of and bowed her head slightly in greetings. "You asked 'what is the point of learning about the Yuuzhan Vong,' did you not?"
The ten rookie pilots all shifted uncomfortably at the sight of the half-blinded and crippled Yuuzhan Vong in front of them.
The pilot who had asked the question nodded. "I did."
Shaeri smiled faintly. "That was the attitude held by the Supreme Overlord and the priest caste before they invaded your galaxy. To them you and the others are nothing more than slave labor or corpses. Why should they learn about your way of life; especially since it conflicts with their own? It is much easier to kill all of you, to turn your cities to ruin, then to worry about what motivates you. To wonder why you continue to fight even when your forces are being slaughtered at nearly every engagement. The Intendant caste had infiltrators in your system to learn all they could about you, why? So that the Yuuzhan Vong would better know how to kill you. You will not win this war by squeezing triggers and killing one warrior after another. What you must do is minimize your own losses by understanding how and why the Yuuzhan Vong act as they do. That is why you must learn about the Yuuzhan Vong. To keep yourself alive. To keep your friends and family alive."
"Thank you, Shaeri," Tahiri said happily, relieved that none of the other pilots rejected this view outright. "Any more questions?"
"Yes…Tahiri. In light of Van's question, it seems kind of trivial. But we were told we were assigned to your squadron, but we weren't told the name of the squadron."
Tahiri cocked her head and glanced back at the X-wing behind her. "For now, we're Grey Squadron. If you guys can come up with something better, let me know. If there are no more questions, all of you are dismissed. I will see you all at the first mission briefing later today."
The ten pilots snapped to attention, then slowly filed out of the hangar. Tahiri let loose the breath she had been holding.
"That was harder than I thought it would be."
"You did fine," Zindra clapped Tahiri on the back playfully.
"You think we didn't go overboard with the Yuuzhan Vong thing?" Tahiri said timidly. "The last thing I want is for them to…well…you know."
"Hey, if my first squad leader was like you, a heck of a lot more people than just me and Rem would have made it out of that first engagement. It's better they learn about the Yuuzhan Vong from someone friendly, than from some warrior in a coralskipper shooting their butts off."
Tahiri just nodded. "And what do you think of the mission Admiral Kre'fey wants us to go on?"
"A simple interdiction of a supply convoy," Zindra shrugged. "Nice and easy. We should be able to handle it without any problems."
"Admiral on deck!" A voice called out.
Zindra and the other New Republic personnel snapped to attention, while Tahiri sat on the ground at the front wheel of the X-wing behind her. The two didn't have to wait long for Admiral Kre'fey to make his way to them.
"Admiral," Zindra saluted.
"At ease," the Bothan's violet eyes were twinkling with amusement. "So, how did your first meeting with your new squad go?"
"Bad news?" Tahiri breathed.
The admiral inclined his head in an affirmative. "I do not believe I've ever received so many requests for a transfer immediately after the formation of a new squadron. Seven must be a new record."
"I knew my idea wouldn't work out," Tahiri groaned.
Admiral Kre'fey held out a hand and helped Tahiri back to her feet. "Do not worry. I have declined all the requests. I have found their reason for wanting to be transferred inadequate. To be honest, young Jedi, I anticipated this."
"You did? Sir." Zindra quickly added.
"I did," Admiral Kre'fey said reassuringly. "I anticpated that yours would be one of my more unorthodox squadrons in my task group. Something that isn't quite by the book. These pilots you have are fresh out of the academy and know only how to operate by the book. Your unique approach has, to put it simply, confused and scared them."
The disappointment on Tahiri's face was bringing Zindra down as well. "Cheer up, Tahiri. At least three of the ten were willing to stick it through."
*snip**snip*
I had an entire side-story arc in mind with Tahiri and Zindra trying to build up their squadron and to show how the Barefoots became so loyal to Tahiri. The Anakin/Tahiri reunion would have been pushed back to much later, and Destiny's Way's arc would have been several chapters longer. I eventually scratched the idea in favor of what ended up in the story. One, because I didn't want to emulate Stackpole/Allston's Rogue/Wraith Squadron series. Two, because it would have taken the story on too far a tangent. And three because there was only so many hit-and-run raids with different results that I could write and still keep the idea fresh. Some of the dialogue and ideas have been cannibalized for later chapters.
*snip**snip*
Again, next chapter will be up on Wednesday and there will be two scenes in it that push the T-M rated barrier. They will be the third and fourth segment of the chapter (conveniently labeled) respectively. It's nothing too explicit, and I think the scenes (one A/T, one J/J) are still mild enough for the story to keep its T rating; or at the very most a diet M rating.
Hope you all enjoyed my version of Destiny's Way.
Please review if you so desire.
Edited for minor grammar and spelling (and section numbering) 4/12/13
