Love of a Jedi II
Chapter Sixteen
It had been nearly two weeks since Naes had freed the Mon Cala shipyards. While freeing the Mon Cala shipyards he found a former Jedi Padawan that had miraculously escaped Order 66, close to the same age as Ezriel, but in need of finishing instruction. Naes named him Darth Frater and took him on as a new Padawan. He was also coordinating with Garm Bel Iblis on a regular basis for the simultaneous assault on Kuat and Corellia declaring independence and ousting Imperial interlopers. Naes was taking some extra time to get a few extra ships ready for the assault. When he hit the Mon Cala shipyards he was able to count on the local population for support. When he hit the KDY it was doubtful he could count on local help. Kuat since the founding of the Empire had shown staunch loyalty for Palpatine, and he reciprocated that by giving KDY lucrative contracts for multiple Imperial Projects.
In order to tilt the odds as much into his favor, Naes was having additional droids constructed at Corellia. Garm was kind enough to convert a couple of the droid factories on Corellia to construct battle droids. He had also relocated all of the advanced Force trainees to here to receive intensified instruction in lightsaber combat and basic combat techniques. He had also converted one of the Mon Cala shipyard sections to producing droid fighters. In another three days everything would be as ready as possible. Personally Naes would rather hit the yards at Fonder, but he knew that you could not attack Coruscant without first taking out KDY.
Rhea walked into his office, "Everything is on schedule, our spies indicate that there are twenty Star Destroyers docked and undergoing repair along with thirty cruisers."
"How many vessels patrolling in system?"
"Seven Destroyers, we got lucky; Death Squadron just left KDY headed back for Coruscant."
"You mean Vader's squadron?"
"Yes, Vader just left KDY headed for Coruscant, at the Emperor's orders."
"How long is Vader supposed to remain at Coruscant?"
"At least another month, the emperor wants him there for the Empire Day festivities."
"You know, that is correct, in almost a month it is Empire Day, everyone and their brother will be descending on Coruscant to celebrate." Naes looked at Rhea and said, "Get you a new dress, how would you like to attend Empire Day at Coruscant?"
Rhea looked at Naes and said, "Are you crazy, we barely are ready for KDY much less Coruscant."
"With the proper planning we can do both. Prepare everything, we are leaving for KDY in twelve hours."
"I really think that we should attend Empire Day. Think about it Rhea, everyone and their brother will be headed to Coruscant. The perfect time for about a hundred people to take a holiday and overthrow the Empire."
"Yes, and security will be extra tight."
"And with the right ident papers we can get in unnoticed." Naes paused for a minute, "I have an idea how to get into KDY unnoticed and without a needless firefight before we even dock."
"What is it?"
"Tell me, how many ships do we have ready to go right now?"
"Leaving behind a standard one destroyer and two cruisers, we will have eleven destroyers, five cruisers and two carriers available for KDY."
"Then what is holding us back?"
"Nothing really. I was trying to give us a bit more time to produce fighters."
"With my plan, we won't need them. We use three destroyers and two cruisers loaded with battle droids and fifty of our Force Users with faked clearance codes for all to dock together at one of the KDY military terminals, infiltrate the yard and within a couple of hours it is hours. We send the rest of the ships after the Imperial patrol ship to disable and liberate again using our standard liberation tactics using the other fifty Force users and remaining battle droids. I am sure that the Wookies, Bothans, Mon Cala and Garm would gladly assist us in taking the other KDY sections. We could do that easily in under three weeks, leaving a week to prepare and infiltrate Coruscant for Empire Day and freeing the galaxy."
"It could be done. I will go and get started."
"Good, I will coordinate with our allies and apprise them of our plans."
The Next Day…
After discussing his idea with his allies, they rapidly made arrangements for a mixed group of Wookies, Bothans, Mon Cala, and Corellians to infiltrate the other two military sections of the Kuat Drive Yards, to assist Naes pulled half of the users from his contingent and half from the boarding party contingent being sent to seize the patrolling squadron. In fact, he assigned Ezriel and Luminous to assist the Wookies and Bothans in seizing their section, Rhea was in charge of the fleet group; Tara was in charge of the third group made up of Mon Cala and Corellians. Naes took the bulk of the battledroids and humans and Mon Cala.
Due to it looking suspicious that three different squadrons was coming in suddenly; Naes sliced into the Imperial Network and entered in doctored order sets for Tara and Ezriel's ships to come in about two hours apart from different vectors to dock for repair and resupply. Such was a normal occurrence and would not arouse suspicions. Naes fleet would come in between the two, purportedly needing emergency docking after narrowly escaping a fleet of Separatist holdouts. Even after nearly three years, there were a few holdouts, most had been destroyed. Actually Naes had co-opted the last holdouts to assist him and then proceeded to hide their existence until now, when he could use their existence for emergency docking and claim responsibility for destroying the last pocket resistance to the Empire.
Everything worked wonders, Tara and her ships docked at the first military array, the slicer droid shut down the internal comms for that section; making it look like a normal malfunction. The slicer droid also uploaded a nasty virus that Naes had created just for this occasion. Within minutes the yard sensors would be showing ghosts everywhere and the internal sensors would be in the middle of a cascade failure, at least to the command section that is the way it would appear. Tara and her infiltrators would have eyes and ears everywhere.
Naes and his group came in with the requisite appearance of battle damage and requested immediate emergency docking. He was sent to the far side from Tara to section three. By the time he docked, the internal sensors as well as the internal comms for Sections two and three began to fail as well, per the virus. Thirty minutes later Ezriel and his ships came in for their scheduled docking.
As predicted, with the troubles at the station and extra arrivals, the fleet moved in closer to the station to provide backup support. Just as the fleet moved in closer, Ezriel sent a coded microburst with the fleets position to Rhea, her fleet performed a point blank jump right on top of the protectorate fleet and threw the entire shipyard and star system into chaos. Rhea began jamming all outgoing Imperial frequencies.
Naes and Frater and the rest of his troops debarked from his Star Destroyer and immediately headed for the command gallery of his section. Naes directed his battledroids to spread out and create distractions for the stormtrooper corps. That brought to a very manageable level the amount of troopers between him and the command section. As he was jogging down the hall towards the lift that would take him to command Naes with Frater jogging alongside him said, 'Feel the Force around you. We live in harmony with the Force, we strive to become one with the Force, watch and reflect how I submerge myself into the Force. Oh and watch my back for anything that comes in from the sides after I pass by the hallway openings. Our objective is the lift at the end of the corridor."
Naes submerged himself in the Force and started running for the lift, soon enough two squads of troopers filled the hallway in front of him. Naes did not break stride, his saber appeared in his hand and began to hum. He began deflecting blaster bolts back at the troopers with his saber in his right hand; and with his left hand Force Grabbed several blasters and yanked them away. He then started to pull troopers to him and throwing them around the corridor like they were ragdolls. By the time he reached the main body there were only six troopers left out of sixteen. Naes mowed right through those six as if they were not even there. He never slowed down or let up. When he got to the lift he stopped and placed his saber back where it belonged.
Frater was jogging to keep up and still watch the side corridors for any problems. He had never seen a display of swordsmanship and Force attunement. To defend from blasters and yank blasters and people at the same time was extremely unusual; only true masters of the Force could accomplish such things. Just then the lift opened, to reveal another squad of troopers. Naes calmly looked at them and raised his right hand and shot lightening at the squad; knocking them out. They cleared out the lift and took it to the command level.
The lift doors opened and Naes stepped out first with Frater right behind him, as expected there were eight officers manning the various consoles. Like a skilled conductor at the orchestra, using both hands Naes picked the officers up like they were dolls and pulled them away from the consoles before they could react and send out a distress call. Frater and the handful of troops immediately took over the various stations. Tara and her troops had just seized control of section one. Naes directed her to send troops to section four and seize it as well. He sent Frater and troops to section four from his side as well. That would put the section in a classic pincer move.
While that was happening and Tara was consolidating her gains and Ezriel was making his way to the control room in section two, Naes used his slicer program to send the troops in section two on wild goose chases. He then focused on the display where Rhea was facing the Imperial fleet, Naes hit on an idea. He called up the internal security feed of the lead star destroyer's hyper matter reactor and focused on that part of the ship. First he focused on the lead officer and pushed him away from his console. That worked, so Naes just wholesale pushed all the occupants away from their consoles and in some cases off of the catwalks. He then focused on the control panels and began shutting off power to weapons and shields.
Rhea immediately took advantage of the opening and fired ion torpedoes at the ship; knocking it completely offline. Naes then began working his way through the fleet that Rhea was facing. Soon enough Rhea was able to send parties to the disabled star destroyers and claim them for spoil as well. Naes and the others sent some of their excess troops to help claim the ships. After a hectic twenty four hours, Naes sent a message to his conspirators reminding them to take time to rest, because they were leaving in five days for Coruscant. Naes also told them that he was going offline for deep meditation in the Force. He needed to find out why the Force was pushing him to dethrone Palpatine.
Once he was in a meditative trance Naes saw the largest mobile space battle station destroy Alderaan, including Bail Organa. Shortly afterwards he saw an assault against the battle station and its destruction. His perspective jumped forward a few years in time, a second even larger battle station in mid construction operational enough to destroy capital ships in a single shot. A duel on the station between Vader and presumably his son judging by his appearance the duel overseen by the Emperor and Vader turning on the Palpatine throwing the emperor down a reactor shaft. Shortly after that the galaxy was free once more. Naes felt he could relax and then he saw, a start at a new Jedi Order and a New Republic. Both failing and falling after some thirty years. An even greater darkness and the laugh of the Emperor. Backed by countless star destroyers and the threat of unending galaxy wide darkness barely averted.
Naes then understood, if the Emperor was not stopped soon, he would lay contingency plans and have in place the ability to return from his own destruction. Naes knew that the Dark Side was a pathway to such unnatural abilities. The cost was going to be fifty years of chaos and darkness. A republic that would be corrupted from within and as well as with out. Not just weapons capable of destroying a planet, but a weapon capable of destroying entire star systems. No the Jedi had no business running the galaxy, but they needed more independence from the galactic governments. For now, the Empire would do, but without the rulership of Palpatine. Eventually Naes would work to create a strong independent judicial free of Senate or Executive influence.
Naes now knew why the Force was spurring him to remove the Emperor now, but he was still disturbed by the prophecy of the Chosen One. It implied that Anakin would bring balance to the Force, presumably by destroying Palpatine. He knew from a previous vision that if he had been with the Jedi when they went to remove Palpatine originally that they would probably have succeeded. Naes had to try and figure out a way to appeal to Vader and get him to turn back to the light.
He then hit on an idea, before he took on the Emperor, he had to show Anakin the Force visions Naes had seen over the years. Starting with what could have been that dark night three years ago at the end of the Clone Wars. The vision of Naes and Anakin serving together on the Jedi Council and finally the vision of fifty plus years of darkness before Palpatine was truly defeated and the cost to Anakin's descendants. He would bring Ezriel and Frater with him to act as a backstop. Naes did not want to overly tire himself out before facing the Emperor. First Naes had to call a council of war, including Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. Naes would also need to discuss things with Master Yoda and Obi Wan as well.
He tapped his communicator and contacted Rhea, "Rhea, call a council of war with Thosk Fel'ya, Raddus, Chuundar, Garm Bel Iblis and insist with Garm that Mon Mothma and Bail Organa come in person as well. I have something that I have to show them and it can only be shown in person. Tell them it is a matter of life and death not just for them but galactic darkness as well."
"Sure thing Naes."
After that, Naes contacted Obi Wan and Yoda, "Masters, I know that before the two of you have opposed my intent and desire to overthrow the Emperor now and have in fact counselled waiting for a more opportune time, when we could gather the necessary strength to completely overthrow the Empire. Masters, I have just had a vision. I meditated on the Force to try and figure out why it is pushing me to this endgame. I ask of you, open your minds to me and let me share with you what I have seen." With that Naes opened his mind to Yoda and Obi Wan and allowed them to see the next fifty years for the galaxy.
Obi Wan was white as a sheet, Yoda looked pensive and then concerned. Meditate on this I must, for now Master Nemelc continue as you are. Concerning is this vision.
"Master Yoda, there is one other thing, should I defeat the Emperor and Vader, I want you and Master Kenobi to return to Coruscant to help re-establish the Jedi Order, a more balanced order that is not quite so dogmatic. And for the two of you act as Counsellors to me as I reorganize the Empire back to a Republic."
"Think on that we will as well Master Nemelc."
"I will be meeting with the heads of the rebels along with Senators Organa and Mothma; showing them what I have seen. I will also let them know that I have reached out to the two of you for help in the reconstruction effort."
"Agreeable that is Master Nemelc."
The Next Day…
"Gentlebeings, thank you for coming here to meet. I especially want to welcome Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, I know that the two of you oppose my more direct methods. That you believe we are moving too fast. The only thing that I can tell you is that I have been feeling the nudge of the Force pushing me along this path; yesterday I did a deep meditation on the Force to try and figure out why. The Force sent me a vision telling me why. It is extremely difficult for a Jedi to share such things with non-Jedi, and sharing directly could be mentally invasive for everyone involved. I will play a sequence that I created last night that very nearly matches what I saw. I have shared this with Yoda and Master Kenobi. They are meditating even now on their course of action and direction for me. They have agreed to help in reconstruction should we succeed in overthrowing Palpatine."
With that Naes showed the group his recreation of what he had seen. Everyone present was visibly shaken, most notably Bail Organa when he saw the toll it would take, Alderaan and on Leia. He looked at Mon Mothma, the two having known each other for years could communicate silently with just a look. Mothma very subtly nodded in agreement.
Bail spoke up and said, "Master Nemelc it is with great reluctance that Mon Mothma and I agree to support you, but after witnessing what you have seen, we have no choice. In order to save the galaxy untold suffering and save untold billions of lives we must act now. Tell us what you need from us and we will do our best to help you."
"I need help in infiltrating Coruscant on Empire Day next week. The Force is telling me that is the best time to make the attempt. I have fifty Force Users that are trained well enough with sabers to take out the Dark Side adepts and the Inquisitors."
"Done."