Chapter 35
Ryoo sat in the co-pilot's seat behind Sabé as Sabé took the ship down for a landing at Dee'ja Peak. Ryoo had only been to the secret Sith capital of Naboo twice in her life and both times before she was seven years old.
From above about the only thing that set the city apart from any other city on Naboo was its location in the mountains. All of the other major cities of Naboo were in the lowlands and near lakes or seas. Ryoo knew however that beneath the typical Naboo architecture was the hidden society of the Sith.
The ship settled down in the landing bay. Sabé had Ryoo go over the shutdown check list and then they disembarked from the ship. Yané brought their Kaminoan prisoners with her. As they came off the landing ramp they were met by five Sith women.
Ryoo didn't recognize who four of them were but at the head of the group was her mother who was not dressed in her usual Queen clothing but in the black robes that marked her as a member of the Sith Council.
"Hello Mother," Ryoo greeted her mother coolly.
Queen Sola regarded her daughter with an icy glare. Ryoo was now a fair bit taller than her mother and she stood about half a head above Sola. Ryoo got her height from her father who had died just before Pooja was born. Ryoo had vague memories of him being a giant of a man and her mother only barely coming up to his shoulders.
"I have no time to argue with you, Daughter," Sola responded.
Queen Sola averted her gaze from her daughter to Sabé, Yané and the two Kaminoan prisoners.
"What are these… things you have with you?" Sola asked pointed a finger at the Kaminoans with a look of disgust on her face.
"These are two of the greatest cloners in the galaxy," Sabé replied. "They are currently growing a clone army on their planet for the Separatists."
"Well shouldn't we be doing something about that?" Sola asked.
"Cordé is taking her fleet to attack Kamino as we speak," Sabé answered.
"That's leaving the Star Forge undefended," Sola said.
"The Star Forge is capable of defending itself," Sabé said. "And there is still the Royal Naboo Defense Force."
"Well that brings us to a completely separate problem," Sola said.
"What did you do mother?" Ryoo asked.
"This is not my doing," Sola responded to her daughter. "This has to do with your aunt. There's a rift amongst the Sith noble houses. Many of them aren't happy with my sister's lack of progress. They want to attack now."
"That is the last thing we should be doing," Sabé said. "That would stick us in a three sided war, with the Republic and the Separatists against us and we would be vastly outnumbered, either side could crush us."
"I agree as does the council," Sola said. "But we suspect that a few of the lesser noble houses are considering siding with the Separatists and Count Dooku."
"He claims to be a Sith, but he while powerful he is no true Sith," Yané said.
"I don't care if he is a Sith or not," Sola said angrily. "His people tried to rape me, tried to kill Pooja and myself, for that I wish to see them all wiped out and anyone who would dare side with them."
Ryoo couldn't recall seeing her mother this angry before, but then again nothing could be more upsetting that someone attempting to rape and kill you and your child.
"Which houses do you suspect?" Ryoo asked.
"The only one I can be certain of is House Minnau." Sola replied.
"You were on your way to kill them when we arrived, weren't you?" Sabé asked.
Sola hesitated to answer, not sure if the question was a test.
"You're doing this against the wishes of the rest of the council aren't you?" Ryoo said.
"The rest of the council are a bunch of fools who would rather sit on their hands and let Padmé do all the work," Sola said. "Well I'm taking matters into my own hands."
Sabé, Yané and Ryoo each turned their backs and looked at each other. They said nothing but they all nodded in agreement.
"Then you've got help," Sabé said. "House Minnau may be one of the weaker houses but you and your handmaidens would find yourselves outnumber, and no offense your majesty but I don't think you've had the same combat experience we have."
In the blink of an eye Sola had her lightsaber at Sabé's throat, it was so quick that even Yané was caught off guard.
"Just what sort of situations have you been putting my daughter in?" Sola threatened.
Ryoo grabbed her mother's wrist and pulled the lightsaber away from Sabé's throat.
"They haven't put me in any situation," Ryoo said. "It comes with being a Sith when you're not on Naboo. And I'm standing here perfectly fine, because I can more than take care of myself."
Sola pulled her wrist away from her daughter and deactivated her lightsaber. She looked one by one from Ryoo to Sabé to Yané. Sola knew of Sabé and Yané's exploits from the first Battle of Naboo and how they had basically taken the Droid Control Ship with a small team of seven Sith. She also knew how Yané was basically her sister's personal assassin and that she had an extensive kill list.
"I don't want to put you in danger," Sola said.
"I fought Dooku's apprentice and survived, I killed the bounty hunter Grievous," Ryoo said. "Heck I just fought in the battle that just took place around the Star Forge with Yellow Squadron and got more kills than anyone else; I can handle myself."
Sola seemed surprised by her daughter's list of accomplishments. She looked over at Sabé who just nodded to affirm that what Ryoo had said was true.
"Let's turn over our prisoners first and then we'll all go deal with House Minnau," Sabé said.
They took the Kaminoans to the secret prison underneath the Hall of Lords, leaving them in a cell to be dealt with later. They then returned to the ship which they all boarded. Sabé then flew the ship to the city of Parrlay, where House Minnau was from.
House Minnau had a large estate on the edge of town that ran along the shore of Lake Parrlay. Sabé flew the YT-2000 low just a meter or two above the water, the ship's engines and repulsors kicking up a huge rooster tail of spray behind it.
"What are you doing?" Sola who was sitting in the co-pilot seat exclaimed.
"Taking them by surprise," Sabé replied calmly.
Just before they were about to reach shore and plough into the ground Sabé pulled up and then turned the ship so it was sideways.
"Now!" Sabé said.
Ryoo and Yané who were in the turrets opened fire on the Minnau estate destroy the buildings and setting the place ablaze. Sabé circled the estate once which was more than enough time to leave the entire place in ruin before setting the ship down in the courtyard.
"Let's get moving!" Sabé ordered as she climbed out of her seat.
Sola was so taken by surprise that she hadn't even undone her harness. She hurriedly undid her harness and made her way to the ramp where Sabé, Yané and Ryoo were already making their way down. Sola was a little surprised by the large number of weapons that both Yané and Ryoo were carrying.
"Your majesty what are your orders?" asked one of her handmaidens.
After the death of most of her handmaidens in the previous assassination attempt and Ellé being promoted to a prominent position in the Royal Naboo Defense Force, Sola had been forced to recruit new handmaidens. Rather than have one Sith apprentice and the rest of her handmaidens being merely force sensitive acolytes Sola had decided to have four handmaidens who were all apprentices.
All of her handmaidens were fairly young, the youngest being about the same age as Ryoo while the oldest was only seventeen.
"Come," Sola said to her handmaidens. "We're taking the fight to them."
Sola ignited her lightsaber and led the way down the ramp following after Sabé, Yané and Ryoo.
The lake estate of House Minnau was in ruins from the strafing run, however that didn't mean that all of the members of the family were dead by any means.
Yané approached the front door which had an emergency blast door that had slammed down into place likely seconds after the attack. She ignited her lightsaber and began slicing in, on either side of her Ryoo and Sabé began doing likewise. Sola and her handmaidens soon joined in and in a minute the eight women had cut through the door and together they blasted it inwards with the Force and stepped in.
Almost immediately they found themselves fired up and but they were quick to deflect the blaster bolts away with their lightsabers. They all soon found themselves face to face with eight droidekas.
"Watch and learn how it's done mom," Ryoo said with a smirk as she charged towards them parrying laser blasts aside with ease as she did.
Using the Force Ryoo rolled a pair of grenade towards two of the droids as she continued to bat aside laser blasts. The grenades were slow moving enough that the droids' shields were unable to stop them and they rolled right underneath. Ryoo did a backflip back towards her mother and the others as the grenades exploded destroy the two droids and the other two adjacent droids were knocked onto their sides.
The two toppled droids had their shields short out not long after from the shield being interrupted by the floor. Yané pulled out and ion pistol and fired two blasts at the droids shorting the rest of their circuitry and putting them out of commission.
Sabé then came running behind Ryoo and grabbed Ryoo's Cortosis blade from off her back. Sabé charged towards one of the remaining droidekas which fired at her. Sabé easily deflected the bolts aside with just one of her tonfa sabres. She leapt in the air above the droid which struggled to follow her path. She hurled the small sword down and it penetrated the droid's shield a struck the power unit causing it to short out and the droid to topple over useless.
Not wanting to be shown up Sola led her handmaidens towards two of the other droids. They held a tight formation and repeatedly and intentionally deflected the droids' laser blasts back at them. The droids' shields began to glow red from the constant barrage of laser blasts against them. One droid's shields finally failed and it was struck with several of its own deflect laser blasts which destroyed it and its partner met a similar fate soon afterwards.
Ryoo charged at the last Droideka as she drew her blaster. She batted aside laser blasts as she closed in and then went into a slide. She focused on a specific spot and fired two shots. The firsts one splattered against the shield, however the second punched through a miniscule hole striking the droids shield generator which exploded. The shield held long enough to contain the explosions which protected Ryoo from the blast.
Ryoo turned and looked back at her mother, a grin on her face. However before she could get back to her feet she found herself lifted up off the ground by the force. Ryoo struggled against and invisible hand that was tightening around her throat.
"So the prodigal princess as returned," came the voice of Lord Rhys Minnau.
Everyone turned towards the sound of his voice to see the Sith nobleman. He was wearing the robes of the head of the house of Minnau which were of typical Nubian style with but of the colours of house Minnau which were green, blue and gold. He held his lightsaber ignited in one hand while he had his free hand up as he Force choked Ryoo.
"You drop my daughter now," Sola demanded.
"Drop her? I'll be happy to drop her dead body at your feet," Rhys Minnau responded.
Sola snarled with anger and charged at him. However at the same time Yané fired her ion pistol at Rhys Minnau's hand. The shot hit his hand and broke his concentration enough to cause him to drop Ryoo who fell to the ground gasping for breath. Minnau barely had time to recover to meet Sola's attack.
Rhys Minnau was a fairly tall man at about 6'2" and 200 lbs. and despite the fact that he in his early fifties he was still in excellent shape. And while his house itself wasn't particularly powerful, Minnau was a fairly powerful Sith in his own right.
However Minnau soon found himself on the defensive as Sola pressed the attack. He was moving backwards as he struggled to parry her furious blows.
Sabé checked on Ryoo who was breathing heavily but was otherwise fine. She looked up to watch her mother battle Rhys Minnau. Despite the fact that she was a little more than half his size, Sola was beating Minnau back like she was twice his size. Every time he managed to attempt a counter attack Sola dodged him as if he were moving in slow motion forcing him further and further back.
Eventually Minnau found himself backed against a wall. Sola let out a bloodthirsty cry as she lunged at him striking at his head. He barely got his lightsaber up in time to block it. However Sola took one hand off of her own lightsaber and drove it into Minnau's chest with increasing the force with the Force.
Minnau let out a gasp as Sola's hand drove right through his rib cage. He looked down as she had her arm buried almost up to the elbow in his chest. With a sneer Sola glared up at him as she pulled her arm out bring Minnau's still beating heart out in her hand. Minnau stared at his own heart an utterly shocked look on his face for a few second before he toppled to the ground face first with a thud.
Sola squeezed her hand into a fist crushing his heart and then threw the remains down on his corpse.
"That's the fate of a traitor," Sola stated as his body before spitting on.
She then turned on a heel and began walking out of the Minnau estate. Her handmaidens were staring at the corpse before quickly following after their master.
Ryoo, Sabé and Yané were also surprised by what they had just witnessed; Ryoo most of all. She had no idea that her mother could be so brutal and ruthless, it was a side that she had never witnessed before. They quickly followed after Sola and her handmaidens.
"Let's burn the rest of this place to the ground," Sola said as the exited the building. "The Minnau's holdings are now forfeit for their treachery, the council will decide what to do with them."
He handmaidens hurried off to carry out her wishes.
"I have to say I was impressed in their mother," Ryoo said.
Sola turned to face her daughter.
"You were quite impressive yourself," Sola responded. "Particularly the way you took out that last Droideka."
"That was my Shatter Point ability," Ryoo said proudly. "Sabé says it is extremely rare."
"It is, even your own aunt doesn't have it," Sola said. "At least not like you do."
"Speaking of which," Sabé interrupted. "We should be reporting back to her on Coruscant."
Sola sighed and then nodded. She embraced her much taller daughter in a hug.
"You've grown up so much," Sola said. "But you're still my little girl. Be safe."
"The life of a Sith is rarely safe mother," Ryoo responded as she hugged her mother back. "But perhaps when we rule this galaxy…"
She let the thought trail off. After holding the huge for nearly a minute Ryoo finally let go.
"Do you want us to give you a ride back to Theed?" Sabé offered.
"No, I have Royal Guardsmen on their way here already, I'll travel back with them," Sola replied. "You three should get back to Coruscant, I'm sure my sister has need of you."
Sabé and Yané said goodbye and Ryoo hugged her mother once more before they boarded their ship. Sabé took it up into the air and out into space and then set course for Coruscant and made the jump to hyperspace.
Yep first update in a long time. I got side tracked on another story and then got busy with life in general but I was given a bit of a nudge to start working on this story again. Not sure how frequent my updates will be. I know they won't be as frequent as in the past, I just do not have the time.
Anyway please leave a review and let me know what you think.