Jag and Syal had spent days putting it together: a list of serving officers she trusted, ones she believed would help her if she decided to take action and move ships across the border into Senex-Juvex. In her long career she'd made many allies but counter-acting the will of the senate would pass beyond the realm of insubordination and into that of illegality, even treason. It was not a long list, but that the list existed at all was, Jag thought, testament to his cousin's accomplished career in the Alliance navy.

After gathering the list they'd talked about what to do with it. Jag had been in favor of rounding up the trustworthy ships and taking them to Senex-Juvex as soon as possible. Syal, understandably, had been less eager to throw away a lifetime of service in a quixotic mission against a near-invincible superweapon. She'd talked about subtly running the idea past the navy's supreme commander, or looking for allies in Imperial space, which Jag assured her would be a useless gesture.

All of that felt suddenly moot when Syal received a summons to Chief of State Sevash's office. The order, given in a short text message, had also said to bring Jagged Fel along.

When they stepped into the office the sun was going down over Galactic City. The sky was turning from gold to red and the skyscrapers were lighting up one-by-one. Sevash, seated behind his desk, gestured for them to sit at the two chairs on the other side without a word.

When they were in their seats he said, "Fenk Noral may have left Coruscant empty-handed, but his visit wasn't a total waste. He met with our intelligence people and established a conduit of information. It's through this conduit that we've learned that another rising has begun on several of the Free Worlds, including Varadan, Fengrine, and Malador."

"A rising against Savyar?" asked Jag. This conversation was not going as he'd expected.

"Against her partisans and Mandalorians. So far the response has been light, but that won't last long. From the information Fenk Noral gave us, Savyar does not have enough forces- hired guns or loyal fanatics- to perform police actions on every world simultaneously. Likely she'll do what we did when we attempted to intervene: pick one high-priority target and make an example of it."

"With that worldship," Syal said grimly. "Where do they think they'll strike?"

"Varadan is a critical mining planet. Fengrine is an agro-world. Malador is by far the most populated of the planets that have so far started to rise. But we cannot say for certain now." Sevash looked at Jag. "News from the Jedi?"

"I'm sorry. The last I heard, Arlen had retrieved his information source and was trying to verify Savyar's location inside the Shroud."

"Savyar or the worldship?"

"I don't know. I think we're running on the hope they're one in the same."

"If they do put that worldship into action," Syal said, "We'll definitely notice."

"Indeed." Sevash pressed the tips of his long white fingers together. "Admiral Antilles, it's come to my attention that you've been making contact with many of your former subordinates and partners. Would you like to tell me why?"

That was it then. Jag stiffened. Syal licked her lips and said, "I was canvassing for support, sir."

"What kind of support?"

"I was looking to see who would be willing to take their ships over the line into Senex-Juvex." Not even the attempt to lie. Syal was a good officer, all the way to the end.

Coolly, Sevash said, "Per the senate vote, such action would be an illegal invasion of a sovereign space."

"All we did was talk," Jagged interjected. "And it was my idea, not the admiral's."

He kept looking at Syal. "Your intention was clear from the start, wasn't it?"

"Yes, sir. I take full responsibility."

"It was only talk," Jag insisted.

"How many ships?" asked Sevash.

Syal blinked and pulled the figure from her mind. "Between twenty and thirty, sir. A range of vessels. This doesn't count any of the ships from the Third stationed on the border already."

"Between twenty and thirty. That's a lot of captains you've convinced to go derelict in their sworn duty."

"Unhappiness with the senate is widespread in the military, sir. There's far more than thirty captains who think we can't stand by and let Savyar keep smashing planets."

"Even after Karfeddion?"

"Yes, sir. Even after that. If we don't stop Savyar, if we don't help the Jedi, millions more are going to die. That blood will be on all our heads."

Sevash gaze a wheezing sigh. He seemed to sink against his chair as if pressed by a great weight. He closed his eyes for a few long seconds, opened them, and asked, "Do you have a list of the captains who'd agreed to help you?"

"In my head, sir."

"I want it now. Then I will notify to the supreme commander that those ships are to be removed from whatever their posts are now and sent to the border to reinforce the Third. It will be an unusual order but it will have my stamp on it and he will not object. When your ships do reach the border, hold position. If Savyar masses her forces for an attack, you will move over the line and do everything in your power to stop her. Is that understood?"

Syal stared at him until she found the ability to nod.

"That is a direct order from the chief of state. I will do everything in my power to shield your captains and their crews from court-martial and prison. I cannot guarantee the same for you, but I will try. Do you understand?"

She nodded against but still couldn't speak. Jag said, "Sir, you'll be directly violating the senate's decision. They elected you. They'll have to call for a no-confidence vote after this."

"They will call for a vote, but I intend to resign before that. Whether they chose to prosecute me afterward, I suspect, will depend entirely on whether you and the Jedi are successful in stopping Savyar." He passed a stern, slow gaze between them. "I have done everything in my power and beyond to preserve the Long Peace. I will not have history say otherwise.

"Now, Admiral, give me that list."

-{}-

It was so strange to see starlight again. Davek stood on Voidwalker's flight deck and looked through the hangar mouth to see not whorls of colored stellar gas but blackness broken by tiny flecks of white. He'd been yearning for weeks to see a blue sky, but this felt just as beautiful.

They'd made three jumps away from the Shroud, jumps that still left them in Senex-Juvex but far from any inhabited system and impossible for any pursuers to find. They were free now, finally, and they were just starting to count the cost of the last battle. It was a heavy cost, certainly. The air group had been reduced to a mere dozen ships. The frigate's nose section had been torn to pieces and another section of the hull, along the starboard-aft side, had been shredded apart. Casualties were still being tallied. Crew were still missing. The death count for that last engagement was expected to be over one hundred and there was no way Voidwalker could survive another engagement with multiple severe hull breaches and half its shield generators gone.

But they were free, finally, and Davek could only feel relieved as he watched his brother's ship sail out from the stairs, through the hangar mouth, and into Voidwalker's belly. It folded its engines and set down in the center of the flight deck, beneath the racks of TIE fighters now two-thirds empty. Davek still had no idea what Starlight Champion had been doing in the Shroud, but the ship looked mercifully unscarred from that last battle.

As the ship lowered its landing ramp Davek heard footsteps behind him. Marasiah was there, freshly changed out of her flight suit. Behind her, a half-dozen stormtroopers.

"At ease," he told the stormies. "These people are friends."

Marasiah sidled next to him and asked in a low voice, "This is the same ship from Bilbringi, isn't it?"

"My brother's ship."

"Are you sure? Did you talk to him?"

"Only briefly. I don't know-"

He stopped at the sight of boots coming down the ramp. His brother was the first one visible. Arlen had his Jedi tunic without the robes, a lightsaber on his belt that didn't look familiar, but the smile on his face and the light in his brown eyes was pure Arlen.

For a second they stood facing each other, neither sure quite how to react. Finally Arlen said, "Well, a captain. You're moving up."

"Nobody else wanted the job," Davek told him.

Arlen laughed. He stepped up for a handshake that turned into a firm hug. Arlen patted his back and pulled away. "Stang it, Davek. How did you survive all this time?"

"It's a very long story. What were you doing in the Shroud?"

"To make it short, we were finding the location of Savyar's worldship." Arlen whistled. "Come on down, you two."

Chance Calrissian was the first one to trot down the ramp. He looked almost as overwhelmed as Davek felt. Right after him was a second set of boots, and as the rest of the Mandalorian became visible the stormtroopers snapped their guns up.

Arlen held out both hands. "Whoa, hold up! She's friendly! Friendly!"

The black-haired woman, in full beskar except for the helmet, looked at the guns pointed at her without expression. She let her gaze fall down to Davek and said, "So. You're the brother."

Davek blinked. "You've heard of me."

"Congratulations on coming back from the dead," she said without mirth.

"Ah, you're welcome." Davek looked back at the stormies and they finally lowered their weapons. He stepped back to Marasiah and said, "Davek, you met Lieutenant Valtor, didn't you? It was brief. At Bilbringi."

Understanding showed on his face. "Ah, I get it now. You're a hell of a flier, Lieutenant."

She smiled just a little. "Glad to be of service."

Davek looked at his brother. "Have you told our parents yet?"

"I haven't commed anybody, but we need to get on that." He gestured to his ship. "In fact, I think you should do the honors."

Davek followed his brother up the ramp and into the cockpit. Arlen explained, very quickly, that the Jedi were planning to use Sekotan organic ships to approach and board the worldship and disable it from the inside. He also explained that the Imperials had withdrawn all forces to their own space, Senex-Juvex had seceeded from the Alliance, the senate on Coruscant had voted down any military intervention, and Savyar was actually a Sith Lord named Darth Xoran who'd also orchestrated the coup on Hapes twelve years ago and murdered their aunt Katia.

It was a lot to take in, but Davek didn't have the time. When Arlen patched the connection in his mother's holographic head-and-shoulders appeared in the cockpit between them.

Amazingly, she didn't seem surprised to see him sitting there. A proud, knowing smile spread on Jaina's face as she saw her two sons sitting side-by-side.

"Oh, Davek," she said, "You've answered your mother's prayers. Where have you been all this time?"

"Voidwalker's been trapped inside the Shroud," Davek explained. "We've been totally cut off and on our own. We only escaped because we ran into Arlen."

"That's being modest." Arlen patted his shoulder. "You're looking at Captain Davek Fel, Mom."

"Oh, Davek," she repeated. Her holographic eyes searched his face. "Your forehead… Is that a scar?"

"That's right." He'd almost forgotten about it, almost gotten used to it. "A piece of shrapnel, in one of the early fights. A centimeter lower and it would have killed me."

"Just like your father," she said softly.

"Where is he? Is he with you?"

"No, he's on Coruscant, where it's safe."

"We've got the location of the worldship," Arlen said as he tapped the comm console. "I'm sending a data package with this transmission. It includes a full map of the passages inside the Shroud and the worldship's location. Do you have all your people standing by?"

"We do," she said firmly.

Davek asked, "You'll be attacking the worldship? Now?"

"That's the idea. Don't worry about us. I've got your uncle here, and Jade, Allana, and other Jedi, plus a team of Yuuzhan Vong shapers and warriors."

"Arlen says there's a Sith on that worldship."

"Unfortunately, he's right. But that's what a team of Jedi are for. We have to do this, Davek. Darth Xoran's been destroying whole planets aligned with the Houses. We think she might start punishing disloyal Free Worlds next."

"Will you need help?" asked Arlen.

She shook her head. "Stay with your brother. What condition are your ships in?"

"Champ's okay but Voidwalker's beaten up."

"Can you get out of Senex-Juvex?"

"I think so," said Davek. "Our teams are still looking over the battle-damage."

"Here's what you can do. Go to the the Malador system, the second planet. There's a shadowport on its sunward side that can help repair your ship."

Davek frowned. "What do you mean? How do you know about it?"

"We've made contact with leaders in the Free Worlds who want to be out from under Savyar. They're aware of our mission and shared some intelligence."

"Are you sure you can trust them?" It sounded too good to be true.

"I can take Champ and scout ahead," said Arlen. "If it's clear you can slip Voidwalker in. Mom, do I need some special passcodes?"

"I'll send it along with this transmission. Get to Malador. Be safe, both of you. We'll take care of everything else on our end."

The conversation was wrapping up. Davek got out the first words to come to his mind: "I love you, Mom."

He'd never been free with his affection, in words or action. The smile on her face got wider. "I love you too, Davek. And you, Arlen. May the Force be with you both."

"I think," Davek said, "It already is."

-{}-

Twin Sekotan fliers hung in the void before the Shroud. The insides of the organic vessels were more spacious than Wharn had expected; a luxury, he supposed, of being powered by dovin basals instead of bulky thrust engines. There had even been enough room for Jedi to practice sparring in the main hold, and while Jodram had been game to match himself against the Wookiees and even willing Yuuzhan Vong in one-on-one duels, Wharn hadn't been able to concentrate. Too much lay ahead to focus on the present.

He was sitting in the side of the hold next to Jade, watching Karrash practice against a Yuuzhan Vong with an amphistaff, when Grand Master Skywalker emerged from the cockpit with an intent look that demanded attention. The duelists stopped their work and all eyes fell on him.

"We've just gotten word from Arlen," Ben said. "We have the location of Savyar's worldship. We'll be on the move shortly."

Lowbacca, sitting beside his daughter, roared something that sounded like a question.

"They say there's only a few spacecraft patrolling near the worldship. Arlen thinks they're Savyar's partisans. When we do our approach their scanners should make us out as stray asteroids cutting through the Shroud."

"What about Savyar?" asked Wharn. "Is she aboard?"

"I don't know, but we have to assume she is. There's other news, though, good news. Davek Fel is alive."

"What?" Jade piped. "Where? How?"

"His ship has been stuck behind enemy lines since Karfeddion. Arlen ran into his ship on the way out of the Shroud and they escaped together."

Jade looked brightened, but Wharn asked, "What about Arlen? Will he be coming with us?"

Ben shook his head. "He and Davek both will be falling back. They've done their job. It's time to do ours."

Wharn nodded but couldn't hide his disappointment. Training on Bastion he'd come to rely on Arlen more than he'd realized. He'd feel a lot more confident if he could fight beside his mentor again.

The grand master realized this, because he said, "Wharn, can we talk for a moment?"

It sounded like a private conversation. He got to his feet. "Of course, Grand Master."

"Good. Jade, Jodram, come with us please."

The four of them stepped back into a small cabin in the aft of the ship. It was dim and silent inside; he'd never get used to being inside a ship without humming engines.

Grand Master Skywalker put his hands on his hips and looked the three apprentices over. He'd dropped into his most authoritative mode and Wharn tried not to show how intimidated he felt. "That you're here with us now should tell you how much I trust all three of you. We don't know exactly what we're going to find aboard the worldship. I wish we did. As it is, we'll be making a major leap into the unknown and I have to know you'll follow my orders as Grand Master. If I tell you to do something, you'll do it, no question. Is that understood?"

"It is, Master," Jodram said.

Ben looked at Wharn and his daughter. "Is it?"

"Of course, Dad," Jade said firmly. Wharn nodded.

"Our main goal is to get the shapers to the right nodes inside the worldship's neural network to shut the thing down. That means we have to protect them, especially the shaper. The warriors will take the vanguard but we'll be right along with them. We assist them. We're not going down there to be heroes."

"Master," Wharn said, "What about Darth Xoran?"

He nodded grimly. "I know the feelings she provokes inside you. If you give in to those- your doubt, your anger, your regret- then you'll let her win. Do you understand?"

"But if we do run into her," asked Jade, "What happens then? If we have to fight her…"

Jade faltered. Jodram said, "We already saw what she did to Master Mjalu."

Just hearing the Bimm's name made Wharn's heart waver. Ben said, "From what you've told me, Master Mjalu almost beat her. Xoran isn't invincible. She's been hiding in the shadows for a long time and that's why she's done so much damage. When you bring a monster into the light it's not as frightening as it was in the dark."

"I think she's frightening enough, Dad," Jade said.

Ben put a hand on her shoulder. "If you think that then you shouldn't face her. In fact, none of you should face her. If you see her, run. Leave her to me and Master Lowbacca. You three should focus on the real goal of this mission, disabling the worldship."

That was the order, and Wharn knew it had been coming. He nodded in grim acceptance, as did Jodram. Jade, though, asked, "Do you want to fight her, Dad?"

Something subtle shifted on the grand master's face; it made him look much older in an instant. "Yes," he said, "I do. But it's not about vengeance. It's not about guilt or anger or regret. It's about closing a wound that's been bleeding for twelve years. It's been bleeding for me, you, Tenel Ka, Allana, Tanith, and many more. It needs to be closed so all of us can move on."

Jade sniffled and smiled weakly. "Thanks, Dad. Just making sure you weren't falling to the Dark Side or anything."

"Not a chance." He ruffled her hair fondly. "Now come on. Let's go out front. We'll be heading in soon."

-{}-

Jaina had a new vigor after speaking with her sons, and Allana could hardly blame her. For her aunt, at least, it had strengthened her faith that this mission would be successful. Allana wished she could be as confident.

She'd spent part of the trip from Coruscant in the flier's main hold, practicing sparring against the Yuuzhan Vong warriors who'd accompanied them. She hadn't practiced fighting much recently and going against the warriors was a new experience entirely. Her mother fought as well, and it seemed like living in the wilderness hadn't dulled Tenel Ka's reflexes or agility.

As they drew close to the Shroud the time for talking was over and they began to prepare for deployment. Allana and her mother went to their cabin in the back of the ship and gathered their kits. Like Jaina and Tanith, they'd be wearing thick synthfiber jumpsuits and black plasteel armor on the mission.

"You did well against the Vong," Allana told her mother. "Was it strange for you?"

"Yuuzhan Vong," Tenel Ka corrected. "Why would it be strange?"

"Well. You did have to fight them once." She knew her mother had been captured by the Yuuzhan Vong, tortured, watched her friends die, and on another worldship no less.

"That was… a very long time ago. And in any case, I did not live ten years on Zonama Sekot without practicing sparring with some Yuuzhan Vong."

"Really?"

"Yes. Some of them would come to me on the mountain. Mostly it as warriors of the Ganner sect. They would request assistance in their training from one who'd known their god in the flesh." She shook her head but she had a soft smile. "The Ganner I knew could be…. overbearing. I could never stand him when he was alive but in death he is a beacon for an entire generation of Yuuzhan Vong who seek to restore the honor of their people. The Force works in mysterious ways."

"I've heard that one before." Allana smiled too, heartened by her mother's opening up.

"What about you, Allana?" She turned grey eyes on her daughter. "It must have been a long time since your last battle."

"Hapes," she said grimly. "That was my last real fight."

"Ah. Aha."

She reached down and stroked her lightsaber. "I practiced when I could. But the life I ended up having wasn't the one I expected."

"You're not alone in that."

"Mom..." She shouldn't be asking this but she couldn't help it. "What will you do when this over? Will you go back to Zonama Sekot?"

Tenel Ka looked at her own weapon and flexed her palm along the curve of its rancor-tooth hilt. "I think the time for that is over."

For the first time Allana knew a bit of the confidence that had blossomed in Jaina. It was hope for the future. "I know a lot of people who will want to see you again, Mom."

"I know. But that is in the future." Tenel Ka straightened and brushed wiry graying braids off her shoulders. "Let us go join Jaina. It's time to make an end of things."

-{}-

Recent days had been an exercise in frustration for Darth Kheykid. By the time he'd arrived at Waystation Grek the Mandalorian prisoner had apparently escaped her cell and been killed trying to flee the Shroud. She could do no more harm dead, it was true, but he'd been looking forward to repaying some pain on the one who'd ambushed him inside Broken Moon and foiled his mission there. By the time he got back to the worldship, more and more Free Worlds were starting to agitate against Darth Xoran's leadership, both covertly and overtly. Now, word had come down from the Mandalorians that the Imperial frigate that had been harassing them inside the Shroud for six weeks had escaped. It had apparently been assisted by a ship that very closely matched the description of the one from Broken Moon.

Darth Xoran, thankfully, had more important things to do than punish him for another failure. She'd been batting forth communication with Gevern Auchs for days, laying out plans for deploying his Mandalorians at upstart worlds and making an example of one of them with the worldship.

Kheykid and Vilath Dal had joined her in the worldship's communications room as the faceless blue holo-image of Auchs appeared before them.

"With the Shroud emptied we can deploy our forces fully," the Mandalore said, trying to make the best of his recent defeat.

"Then your availability is quite timely," Darth Xoran said curtly. "The upstarts are sloppy. I have informants in almost all of their organizations and I know where they're gathered. Specifically, they have nests in the sixth and tenth moons of Thermon, the ninth moon of Yifar, the northeast hemisphere of Presteen, and the second world of the Malador System."

"We'll take care of them all, Madam."

She held up a finger. "Yes, but there's more. Fast strikes won't break the will of the dissenters. There will be a show of force."

"The worldship, then."

"That's right. I've considered our options and made my pick. Malador is the perfect such system. Its third planet is highly populated, with a long and important history, but with its glory days behind it."

"You've decided it's expendable."

"Exactly. Do you object, Mandalore?"

Kheykid wished the masked warrior was here so he could be read in the Force. As it was, he had no idea how Gevern Auchs felt about his employer's increasing bent for mass-murder or what his complicity was doing to the Mandalorians in the eyes of the galaxy at large.

"The plan sounds excellent, Madam. We'll deploy extra ships to Malador."

"That won't be necessary. Just focus on attacking the second planet. We'll handle the rest."

"Very good. When will we launch the assault?"

"Ten hours. We'll catch the planet's main cities when they're in the early morning hours. It will also be early afternoon Galactic Standard Time, so it should make for good evening news on Coruscant."

"You've considered it carefully." Kheykid couldn't tell if Auchs meant it sarcastically or admiringly.

"No revolution succeeds without proper presentation. Do you part, Mandalore, and will do ours. I'll comm you again an hour before we're set to launch."

The holo turned off. Xoran turned to face Kheykid and Vilath Dal. "Well," she said, "Let's get ready. It's time to use this monstrosity again. Vilath Dal, get your crews in place."

"Of course, Madam," the shaper gave a curt bow. "One more question, if I may."

"Go ahead."

"Now that Modran Krux is dead and his organization in shambles, what should we do with glitterstim production? Should it be slowed down or should be keep producing and stockpile the excess?"

She looked annoyed; this wasn't the time for such questions. "Slow production by fifty percent, then stockpile. Once the current problems are dealt with, we may look for more buyers, though frankly, I'm not certain we'll need to. Senex-Juvex has a wealth of mineral-rich planets."

"Still, it is a useful resource. It's gained us so much funding already."

"Yes, very well. Do as I say for now. Once Senex-Juvex is firmly under our control, we'll decide the next steps. Go. I wish to speak with my apprentice."

Vilath Dal bowed again and backed out of the room. Darth Xoran waited until the door irised shut and looked to Kheykid. "Stay with me here, apprentice. I sense your skills will be needed soon. I sense the Jedi are coming."

"Through the Force?"

"Yes, and more. There's no proof that the Imperial frigate or its helper found this worldship but they skirted too close for my liking. Far too close. There are many defenses aboard this worldship. We have my partisans, plus Vilath Dal's warriors and fero xyn beasts, but only Sith can be trusted to stop Jedi. You know that, don't you?"

It was a subtle scold. "I will do better this time, Master. I promise."

"Good." She growled deep in her throat. "We will eradicate the Jedi and we will eradicate the dissenters. Then we'll finally solidify our control over Senex-Juvex." She sighed. "It's their cursed idealism. Hapes was so easier to subdue. The aristocrats there are vindictive, scheming, always plotting knives in each other's backs."

"I've heard it said they would make fine Sith, had they Force powers."

She snorted. "Sith of old. Sith who could never stop fighting each other long enough to kill the Jedi. We are One Sith, Darth Kheykid, and never forget that. We've been gifted with the Force so we can rule those who haven't. There will only be justice if the vermin submit to the lives we choose for them."

"I understand, Master."

"I hope you do. After this things will change for you. There will be more discord to sow, vermin to rule, Jedi to kill. If you perform well you'll be given an apprentice of your own to instruct. Does that appeal to you?"

In truth the thought intimidated him, though he'd known all along that passing on one's training was as key to being Sith as it was to being Jedi. "I hope to be as fine a master as you were to me."

"I don't need flattery, Darth Kheykid, only victory."

"I know, Master, and it wasn't flattery."

She could feel in the Force how he meant it. She raised a dark eyebrow. "What about victory?"

"That will be ours too, Master. I guarantee it."