It was an act of deliberate symbolism on Supreme Commander Hallis' part to have Davek and Veers dock their shuttles in the same hangar aboard Sentinel. They brought the same type as well, sleek tri-winged craft ubiquitous in both the civilian and military echelons of the government. Beside them, Starlight Champion looked all the more out-of-place, but Arlen's ship was just as necessary. This whole battle had begun over the Jedi.
That his brother had been willing to start a civil war to protect the Jedi- or just to protect their mother and his sons- left Arlen inexplicably rattled. He'd known his brother was capable of extreme actions in extreme situations; otherwise he'd never have survived six weeks being chased by Mandos through Senex-Juvex. But for all their lives Davek had always been the good soldier, toeing tight to rules and regulations and the chain of command.
He looked like he was trying to do that still, even after all he'd done over Bastion. When the Jedi filed down Champion's landing ramp Davek didn't run up to hug his sons or kiss his wife. He stood his ground, closer to the hangar exit than the ship, four stormtroopers right behind him. Whether those troopers were his or Hallis' Arlen didn't know, but from Davek's reserve he could guess.
The Jedi walked up to him: Arlen first, his arm locked Jaina's to steady her walk. Marasiah was behind them, Roan and Vitor on either side.
"It's good to see you all," Davek said. He tried to keep his voice formal but it wavered when he looked over them all, especially his sons. Roan still looked scared and bewildered but he stood up straight, not taking the hand his mother had offered. Vitor still had the stiff walk and empty eyes of a young man who'd just killed for the first time.
With effort, Davek looked at Arlen and Jaina. "Is everything secure down on Ravelin?"
"Your soldiers have the Academy secured," Jaina said. "I think most of the fighting's stopped in the city, but it's hard to tell."
"Does Veers still have men in the streets?"
"It's mostly back under police control now," Arlen said. Before being called up to Sentinel, he'd taken Champion on a fly-over of the city. The cease-fire order had taken longest to reach the messy street fighting in the capital and the damage Arlen had seen was worse than he'd expected. Moved by grim curiosity, he'd flown over to the district where the Fel family condominium was located and found the building had been bombed, accidentally or intentionally he'd never know. His brother would have to hear that, but not yet.
"Veers is waiting for us," Davek said. "Hallis too. I've convinced the Supreme Commander to allow one Jedi to speak also."
"I'll go," Jaina said, and started to unlink her arm from Arlen's.
He didn't let go. "Wait, Mom. I need to do this."
"I'm the senior Master on Bastion. Everything that happens to it is my responsible."
"I know, but-"
"And I'm not weakened after what happened down there."
Arlen wasn't sure about that. She'd drawn on the Force heavily and repeatedly during the fight, using it to animate her own old, frail body to battle the Sith. On the flight up to Sentinel there'd been a moment when she'd seemed to pass out in her seat. She was exhausted but he didn't want to call her on it. He didn't have to. There was a better reason for her to stay behind.
To Davek he said, "I've heard about Veers accusations. They're about me. About the things I've done. I'm the one who should answer for them."
"Yes, I think you're right," Davek said, stiffly, with a hint of reproach.
"Who else will be there besides Veers and Hallis?"
"Just them, and us."
"Then we're trying to appeal to Hallis?"
"Both ideally. But yes. I think the Supreme Commander might be… more amenable to what you have to say."
"Good." Carefully, slowly, Arlen let go of his mother. Jaina wavered on her feet and he steadied her with a touch of the Force.
They left their family after that and started down the hall. Two stormies walked ahead, two behind. Clearly they were Hallis', as much wardens and bodyguards. Arlen sidled close to Davek and whispered, "There's more you need to know."
"I figured there would be."
"There were Sith down there. You know that, right?"
"Marasiah told me. What happened?"
"They're dead. I took out some, so did Marasiah and Mom. Vitor killed one."
Davek's pace slacked but all he said was, "I see. Where did they come from?"
"I don't know. I wish I did. But if they're in bed with Veers-"
"Don't accuse him, not until you have proof.
Arlen thought Sith being there was proof enough but this wasn't the time to argue. "That's the other thing. On the way here I got a call from Tamar and her cousins. A vid-stream too."
"Is Marin still with them?"
"Yes. She's fine," he said, though from the tone in Tamar's voice during her brief message he wasn't quite sure. "Davek, you saw that video. The Mandalorians pulled a false-flag on the Chiss to get them into a war."
"I know. I saw it. I haven't taken anything to Aunt Wyn yet. I need proof of who hired them."
"Well, Tamar and Marin were looking into that. Are looking into it. They tracked one of the Mandalore's close allies, someone who knew we were looking into that op. Tamar gathered a bunch of her relatives and tried to ambush the guy."
He stopped and grabbed Davek's arm. His brother stared, confused; the impatient stormtroopers turned to face them. Arlen tilted his head in close and said, "They failed. A bunch of Skiratas got killed. By a Sith."
"You're positive?" Davek hissed.
"Dead. Tamar showed me video-feed from a Mando helmet-cam right before the guy wearing it got fried by Force lighting. And Davek, I know that Sith."
"You mean you fought him before?"
"No." He lowered his voice even more. "That Sith is Retor of Kuhlvult."
For a second Davek's face was blank, like he didn't know the head of the galaxy's biggest shipbuilding conglomerate by name. Then his eyes darkened. "They say Retor consorts with Veers. They got close working to get Invincible built. But Arlen, this is Retor of Kuhlvult. He's one of the richest men in the karking galaxy."
"Darth Sidious was the karking chancellor of the Old Republic. The Sith recruit big when they can. I'm guessing that's what happened with Retor."
Davek squeezed his eyes shut, like he could wish away all this. A stormtrooper, impatient, said, "The Supreme Commander is waiting."
Eyes opened. Davek asked, "Anything else?"
"Only that I called Chance Calrissian. Apparently Retor's expected to attend a big conference for defense industry bigwigs on Balmorra in two days. It'd look bad for KDY if he doesn't show. The Skiratas are already on their way. I'm going to be there if I can. Chance is going, he says he can get me an in."
"The Supreme Commander is waiting," the stormtrooper repeated.
"All right," Davek told them both. He stepped back from Arlen, straightened his uniform, and began walking. Not looking at his brother he asked, "Is there any more good news?"
"I think that's it for now. How about you?"
"Before I left Nightwatch I got word. Reinforcements from the Fourth Fleet are on the way."
"Well. That is good news. How much and what kind?"
"Message didn't say. Operational security."
"Ah."
"Arlen… Thank you. For what you did on the planet. For being here at all. What comes next isn't going to be easy."
Davek said that like his brother had no idea, but Arlen did. He knew exactly what he was walking into, even more than Davek. For so long the Jedi Order had operated on the fringes of Imperial law, obeying it most often but sometimes skirting around it or even disobeying outright according to what the Force demanded. No one had skirted or disobeyed more than Arlen and in doing what he'd known was right he'd opened the door to more trouble than he'd possibly imagined.
There had to be an accounting. That, too, was part of being a Jedi.
-{}-
The conference room in which the fate of the Empire would be decided was as plain as could be: a small viewport looking out at stars, one rectangular table, four chairs with two already occupied. When Davek and Arlen sat down the admiral faced across from Veers, the Jedi from Hallis.
Hallis passed a stern look around the table. "I want to remind you all why we're here. Thousands of Imperial soldiers have died today. This is a tragedy. I'm hoping we can put the bloodshed behind us."
"I'm very willing," said Veers, eyes locked on Davek's, "I didn't desire this, and I didn't fire the first shot."
"The first shot," Davek said, "Was fired by your stormtroopers. We lost eight Jedi down on Bastion. It could have been much worse."
"They should have complied and handed over their leader for arrest."
Their leader was Davek's mother; he tried not to let his anger show. "I took whatever steps I could to defend the men and women who've been on the front lines, battling the raiders to protect the Empire."
"To what end?" Veers' glare darted to Arlen. "I see you've brought your brother along. Am I supposed to take his word as truth?"
"I am curious," Hallis said, "Why did you come along instead, Jedi Fel, instead of your mother?"
"I have to set some things straight. A lot of Moff Veers' accusations are directed at me, as I understand it."
"I am the elected Head of State," Veers snarled. "By Imperial law I demand you address me using my proper, legal title. I won't be disrespected by mutineers and traitors."
There was something off about Veers. He was as smooth an operator as they came, alternately charismatic, passionate, or controlled when he needed to be. He was on edge and couldn't hide it, maybe because his plan to arrest Davek and the Jedi had gone badly awry, maybe because his best admiral was stuck on Yaga Minor, bogged down by a native revolt they should have anticipated. Maybe because he'd learned something new from his Sith ally, Retor of Kuhvult, if they were really partners in this, but Davek had no proof yet.
Veers acting rattled wasn't encouragement. It meant he was more desperate and therefore more dangerous. Veers and Davek had both stepped over lines they couldn't walk back from. The whole room knew it.
"We know what the Head of State's accusations against the Jedi and me are," said Davek. "My position is that he and unknown allies have been planning to act against us since well before the Grievous incident."
"A conspiracy," Veers snorted. "The defense of the desperate."
Hallis asked, "Do you have evidence, Admiral Fel?"
"I do." Davek took a datacard and placed it in front of Hallis. "You can review this, but it contains marked records showing that a shipment of materials was transferred to Bilbringi from the 'Yards at Yaga Minor. I have a deputy chief quartermaster who will testify that he let these two crates pass into our storage area without being properly inspected and registered, on the urging of a friend and former CO named Colonel Homs Malkin of the 221st Infantry Regiment. The 221st was transferred from Yaga Minor to Bilbringi after the Battle of Valc VII. The crates were transferred shortly after the Battle of Kalee."
Hallis reached out to touch the datacard. "What does all this prove?"
"The crates, sir, contained stormtrooper armor made up of cortosis ore." Hallis' frown deepened; Davek added, "Troopers with the same armor moved against the Jedi academy on Bastion today. Again, the 221st and its armor were secreted aboard Bilbringi after the Battle of Kalee, before Sevok-358 and well before the Grievous incident."
"That means nothing," Veers said. "Did this Captain Mallin tell you I set him up for all that? Or did you kill him already?"
"Colonel Malkin, Head of State," Davek said coolly. "And he's alive and in custody, along with the rest of the 221st. In fact he's on his way now, along with the cortosis armor, aboard a backup contingent from the Fourth Fleet."
Veers' right eye twitched and his lips pressed right in anger. Hallis looked thoughtful but said, "This is interesting, but so far you've done nothing to address the Head of State's charges against you or the Jedi Order."
"Name them," Arlen said. "I'll address every charge."
"Very well," Veers hissed. "Number one: Someone leaked classified military intelligence to the Jedi and allowed them to locate Sevok-358."
Davek half-expected his brother to argue there'd been no harm done, that it had all worked out for the best, but Arlen looked straight at Hallis and said, "Davek didn't do a thing. That was me. Only me."
"You admit you stole it?" snapped Veers.
"I enlisted someone else to steal records from the Kaleesh ship we captured at Valc VII. My agent passed the records to the Jedi on Ossus."
"Who did you enlist? Tell us."
Alren looked right at Veers. "A Mandalorian."
Veers' eyes narrowed; his face became a mask. Davek couldn't tell what it meant, but maybe Arlen was getting something through the Force. Very guarded, Veers asked, "Are you referring to your wife, Jedi Fel?"
Of course he'd know about Tamar. Arlen, just as guarded, said, "That's correct. I'm sorry, but she's well outside Imperial space right now."
Veers looked at Hallis. "You heard him. He admitted treason. The entire Jedi Order was complicit."
"I actually wondered if treason was the word," said Arlen. "You all know the Jedi aren't officially members of the Imperial military. We fight on invitation. Except for the fact we don't get paid, we're a little like Mandalorians. Don't you agree, Head of State?"
"The Empire does not hire Mandalorians, or any other mercenary scum. I was against using your kind from the start, for reasons that should be obvious to us all."
"I believe they are," Hallis said, grim but not condemning. "However, Jedi Fel's guilt in this case does not indict the whole Jedi Order. And you leveled more serious charges, Head of State."
Veers nodded. "I charge these men with complicity in the murder of Avaris and Darakon We know they let the Grievous escape the Battle of Kalee. The combat shuttle Jedi Fel was on had an opportunity to destroy that ship as it fled but he didn't. It's clear on all the battle reports."
"You're right, I did that," Arlen said. Davek stared at him; not matter what happened, even if they forced Veers to stand down, there would be hard repercussions for his brother. "And you know what? Davek ordered me to destroy that ship. He told me to blow it out of space. And if you check those battle records you'll see Marasiah came in right after me and did take a shot. Too little too late, but she followed orders like a good soldier. I didn't."
"And why," Hallis said, "Did you let a hostile ship escape?"
Arlen looked down at the table, gave a deep breath. "We boarded the Grievous. We fought the Kaleesh aboard. I'd fought the raiders before and I sensed the Kaleesh were different."
"You sensed it? With your magic Force?" Veers snorted.
"That's right. The raiders felt like hungry nek battle hounds. The Kaleesh were desperate and scared. They only wanted to fight for their freedom."
"They were traitors to the Empire!" He pounded the table. "Supreme Commander, you're hearing this, aren't you? This Jedi admits to aiding and abetting the actions of enemy aliens. He admits it!"
"Against Davek's orders," Arlen said. "And believe me, we had a fight about it later. Ask Marasiah, she was there."
"Jedi Fel," Hallis said, "Do you have any reason for letting the Grievous run aside from what your Force told you?"
"They were running. They were no threat at the time. My conscience wouldn't let me kill them. And obviously, I had no idea what they planned to do to Avaris."
"They were enemy combatants. That made them a threat."
"To a soldier. But I'm just a Jedi." Arlen glanced at Davek for the first time in minutes. "I do admit I'm guilty of disobeying a direct order from my superior. If you want to charge me with something else, take your time, but you can't court marital me since I wasn't in your military at the time. I'm not now either. I'm done."
"Arlen," Davek asked, "What are you saying?"
His eyes went sad, his voice soft. "I'm saying that I may be a Jedi, but I can't be an Imperial knight any more."
"How noble of you," Veers hissed, "How self-sacrificing. Do you want me to weep over the sacrifice you're making?"
"I don't really care what you do, Head of State."
The noise Hallis made was between a sigh and a growl. "What Jedi Fel has admitted to are serious actions, and they'll be dealt with. None of them, however, seem cause to act against Admiral Fel or the Jedi Order."
Davek leaned forward. "I'm sure the Head of State must have more evidence." Veers caught his glare, held it. His upper lip twitched into a sneer but he didn't speak. Davek said, "I forgot to mention. After Colonel Malkin tried to detain me I ordered full security sweeps all over the Bilbringi 'Yards and every ship from the Fourth in drydock. That was still ongoing when we left for Bastion, but the most recent message I got from Vice Admiral Jaeger says they found a team of unauthorized personnel trying to access the Makati's communications computer. Their retinal scans match with soldiers from the 221st. Head of State, what do you think they were doing in there? Adding faked communication records to the memory core, perhaps?"
"Frankly, Admiral, I don't believe they were there. But please, bring these so-called conspirators you've scrounged up. Try and dig the truth out of them. Maybe your Jedi brother can pry their minds open and make them talk like puppets."
"Jedi Fel," Hallis said, "Is also under investigation."
"Also? What are you saying?"
Davek said, "If you were behind these actions since before Valc VII then your transgressions far outweigh what Jedi Fel has done. Am I correct, Supreme Commander?"
Hallis settled back in his chair. He looked very tired, very old, when he said, "I believe you are."
Veers jerked out of his chair. "I have nothing to hide. I welcome judgment."
"I'm sorry, but I can't ignore this information."
"You are not the leader of the Empire, I am. By law. I can strip you of your rank just like I gave it to you."
Hallis just stared, like he was daring him to do it. Instead Veers pounded the table with his fist. "Fine. We'll wait for the so-called evidence against me Fel suddenly mustered. I have evidence of my own, evidence that proves he was in communication with the Grievous after the Battle of Kalee and fed it critical intel to kill Avaris."
"What evidence?" asked Davek. He'd prayed he'd caught every attempt by Veers to snare him but he couldn't be sure.
"Evidence I've kept stored aboard Invincible. I'll go to my shuttle and request it be brought over."
As he started for the door Hallis rose up. "You can talk to them from here, Head of State."
Veers shouldered past him. "I trust the security aboard my shuttle, not yours. And I don't take orders from you. If you want to send some guards to peer over my shoulder, fine. Do it. Like I said, I have nothing to hide."
"We'll go with you." Arlen rose from his seat; Davek did too.
Veers spread his arms and laughed bitterly. "Of course, it's no insult at all to have an admitted traitor watching over me."
Davek looked at Hallis. "We'll go back to the hangar. All of us."
"Very well," The old man said. "I'll call extra security."
Eight stormtroopers showed up to escort them through the hall and down the turbolift. Everyone walked in crisp silence and there was so much Davek wanted to ask his brother: if he could tell what Veers was planning, if he'd felt anything on mention of the Mandalorians. Above all he really wanted to know if Arlen had meant what he'd said about quitting the Empire. A guilty part of Davek was relieved by the thought; he loved his brother but working with him had brought trouble time and again. He wasn't a good soldier, not like Marasiah, and he never would be.
When they reached the landing bay more stormtroopers were there; Hallis was taking this all very seriously. Veers ignored them all with impeccably dignity and marched straight to his shuttle, which sat on the opposite side of the flight deck from Starlight Champion with Davek's shuttle in between. A half-dozen stormtroopers followed Veers up the ramp. Davek and Arlen slipped over to their family and the cluster of Jedi apprentices who all stood beside Champion with confused expressions.
"What happened?" Marasiah asked, looking between them.
"Simple," Arlen said, "We told the truth."
"What about Veers?" Jaina asked.
"Putting in a call to Invincible," supplied Davek. "He says he's got more evidence against us but Hallis doesn't trust him. We-"
The hanger filled with the roar of sublight engines bursting on from a cold start. Veers' shuttle jumped up on a burst of repulsor energy without raised its ramp or retracting its gear. As it jerked off the deck and spun for the hangar mouth two white-armored bodies tumbled out and cracked on the deck. Hallis shouted something over the engines and a few stormtroopers raised their rifles to fire.
The shuttle jumped for the exit, engines bright. Arlen grabbed Davek and their mother and pulled them back just before the shuttle's rear defensive turret pumped out a chain of red laserblasts that hit Davek's unshielded shuttle and turned it into a geyser of flame and smoke. Alarms wailed and emergency sprinklers poured down water as Veers' shuttle leaped out of the hangar mouth.
Davek's ears rang; the intense heat of the burning shuttle washed across the chamber, warming his face. He spun around; his family and the other Jedi were safe. They must have sensed Veers' intent, called on the Force and shielded themselves from the concussive blast right before it hit. He looked at the rest of the hangar and saw stormtroopers running around frantically; one of them was on his knees next to Hallis, who struggled to sit upright with one hand on his stomach over a spreading dark stain.
There was no way to stop Veers from getting back to Invincible. There wasn't even a way for Davek to contact his ships from here. He looked back at Starlight Champion and it looked undamaged; maybe Arlen had shielded it too.
He thought to grab his whole family, get on that ship, and dash back to Nightwatch. Then he thought better.
He staggered over to Arlen, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and shouted, "Go! Get on Champion and get out of here!"
"What?" Arlen blinked ashes from his eyes. "You need to get back to-"
"There's no place safer than Sentinel right now. No place safer for our family. But you need to go, Arlen! You just admitted to crimes against the Empire!"
"But Veers-"
All this time and he still didn't get how it worked. He looked back at Hallis; a medical team had arrived for him. "Get on that ship. Go. Now!"
Arlen tried to pull free. "I'm not running from what I did."
"Get to Balmorra. Stop that Sith. You can't waste time." He shoved Arlen so hard he nearly fell back. The Jedi straightened himself and spun in one dizzy circle, taking in his mother, Marasiah, his nephews, all the young Imperial Jedi he'd helped train. Then he stopped and looked at his brother one more time.
After what he'd admitted there was no future for him in the Empire. His actions would only taint Davek at a time when he needed legitimacy more than ever. Once Arlen got on Champion, once he flew off in pursuit of that Sith, there'd be no going back.
Arlen knew it. Davek knew it. They stared at each other, a wordless goodbye that was all they'd get. Then Arlen turned and ran.
-{}-
Lukas Briggs was a supply and procurement officer, and once upon a time he'd been a stormtrooper. In twenty-some years of Imperial service he'd never once set foot on the bridge of a star destroyer. He'd wanted too, once- who hadn't?- but with time the desire had faded to nothing.
Even when he was young, he'd never imagined he'd be on the deck of an eight-kilometer-long behemoth like the Afsheen Makati when it charged toward a very possible combat situation.
The Makati wasn't totally repaired but Vice Admiral Jaeger, who now strode with authority down the bridge's center aisle, had insisted it and the half-dozen destroyers alongside it were good enough to fight. Reports of fighting over Bastion had rushed their departure, and Lukas hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye to his wife and kids in person. As they'd hurled through hyperspace they'd kept in communication with Nightwatch and learned that Admiral Fel and Head of State Veers has agreed to a cease-fire and parlay with Supreme Commander Hallis as arbitrator. The interdiction field was still up and the task force was pulled from hyperspace well clear of the planet, but their sensors immediately came online to assess the situation.
Lukas had been hoping, if not quite expecting, the cease-fire to still stand. Instead he took in the tactical readouts and his heart sank into his gut. Nothing made sense from the reports he'd just read: Invincible was wrenching away from the planet. Every other ship, from both Davek's forces and the First Feet, seemed to be moving to corral it.
"What the hell is going on out there?" he muttered aloud.
"I have no idea," Jaeger scowled, suddenly at his shoulder. "Comm, hail Nightwatch. Get a sitrep."
"Already getting hailed from Sentinel, sir," the lieutenant said. "It's Admiral Fel."
Jaeger hurried over, Lukas right behind him. The holo that popped up was indeed Davek Fel. The admiral said without preamble, "Hold positions where you are. Repeat, hold position."
"Admiral, what happened?" asked Jaeger.
"Long story, but Veers went back to Invincible. He's making a run for it."
Lukas said, "The rest of the ships-"
"The Supreme Commander's incapacitated but as ranking officer I'm acting with his authority to prevent Veers' escape."
"But he's the legal Head of State!"
Fel hesitated to respond, then someone beside him called his attention. The holo shut off without warning. Jaeger and Lukas looked back at the tactical holo and saw that Veers had begun opening fire on the nearest interdictor cruiser. He was desperate to escape and willing to restart the fighting to do it. Helpless, the Makati's crew watched as the nearby destroyers from the Fourth opened fire to defend themselves. Sentinel pulled forward too, though it was still out of firing range. Both interdictor cruisers tried to flee but the closer one would be smashed by Invincible's guns in minutes. The other was further away and might last long enough for all the other ships to corral and beat Veers into submission, but that super star destroyer would take a lot of punishment and deal out even more.
But the destroyers from the First, Lukas saw, remained where they were. They didn't fire, they didn't move. It was like they'd gone dead in space. Jaeger saw it too; he asked the tactical lieutenant, "What's going on? Why are only the Fourth's ships firing?"
The officer frowned as he looked at his scanners. "We're getting no signals from the First's destroyers, aside from Sentinel. They're still there, but there's nothing, no engines, no comm signals."
"Like someone flipped off a switch," Lukas muttered.
Jaeger stared at him and like he was an idiot again; then realization lit in his eyes. "You may be onto something, Major."
"If Veers can do that to those ships, why not Sentinel? Why not all of ours?"
"I have no idea. I think-"
"First drag ship destroyed," Tactical reported, and Lukas watched as the interdictor's green marker flashed yellow and disappeared from the holo. He watched as Invincible lurched forward, firing on any ship that go tout of its way as it climbed away from Bastion. The great destroyer moved slowly but there was no stopping it, and smaller ships veered out of its way.
Then another set of markers lit up. The second interdictor was under fire, but Invincible was too far away. The drag ship was trapped between two destroyers from the Fourth, one of them Vice Admiral Renwar's Tempest.
"What the hell is she doing?" Jaeger asked as they watched the interdictor's marker flash yellow as its shields failed. Before it winked out the command deck shuddered slightly and an officer reported, "The drag field is down, sir!"
Renwar pulled her ships away from the wounded interdictor and vectored away from the planet. Invincible was already on its way out. Lukas and Jaeger watched, still too confused for words, as the three star destroyers escaped Bastion's gravity well and vanished into hyperspace, leaving battle-scarred fragments of the First and Fourth fleets behind.
The fight was over, the capital apparently secure, but in his heart Lukas knew they'd just lost something far greater.
-{}-
Day had returned to Ravelin. The sky was overcast, blocking out sunlight but leaving light enough to see the damage from the past night's battle. Entire skyscrapers stood as blackened husks in the city center. Smoke still rose from smoldering fires, black pillars that merged with low clouds. Crashed TIE fighters had smashed into buildings and torn lines of black debris through the streets. Even neighborhoods on the outskirts hadn't been spared.
The mid-rise building in which the Fel family condominium owned two floors had been hit. From what Davek could guess from looking at the damage, a TIE fighter had been shot out of the sky and, on its way down, crashed into the highest levels. The explosions had started a fire that spread throughout the tower, only slightly hindered by the rain.
The Fel quarters had been spared total destruction, but there'd be no salvaging it. Against the advice of the recovery crews, he'd had the airspeeder drop him off in the blackened wreckage of the family living room. The entire outer wall had crumbled. Even now flecks of drizzle fell through the gap, tickling his face, dampening the scorched-black floor and walls, the tattered remains of the couch, the metal husks of the kitchen equipment.
Davek walked through the ruin slowly. He felt empty inside. Not tired, despite all that had happened, just empty. The sliding door to his old bedroom was shut, but he grabbed edge with both hands and pushed it open. The fire had gotten into his old room too. The only bed he'd slept on for the first sixteen years of his life was a scorched frame and few twisted springs. Part of the ceiling had caved in, smashing the desk where he'd labored at schoolwork. He'd been so studious as a child, desperate to excel at something if he could never be a Jedi. The outer wall remained but the glass window through which he'd spent so many nights starting at the skyline had been shattered. Cold wet air gusted through the opening. He crouched and looked through the gap at the black and smoking towers of his city. Still, he felt nothing.
Feet crunched debris on the floor behind him. He rose, turned around. Wind tickled the back of his neck as he saw at his wife. She hadn't slept since they'd left Bilbringi either and the weight was showing under her eyes. She hugged herself against the cool and said, "We can't stay here long."
"I know. I just wanted to see it." To experience it. To know that the home he'd grown up in was gone. A part of him had always lingered here, even after becoming an adult. An admiral. A war hero. A husband and father.
Whatever he was now.
Veers and Invincible had fled to Yaga Minor. They knew that much. Supreme Commander Hallis was wounded and undergoing critical surgery. The Moff Council was fractured, with a handful of governors pledging continued allegiance to Veers while most stood silent on their homeworlds and refused to answer Davek's hails. The chain of command was unclear. Admiral Mearv of the Third Fleet was holding over Kalee and half his ground forces were stuck dirtside on rebellious alien colony worlds. Hallis' replacement as head of the First was five days on the job and most of his ships wouldn't work. Analysts had detected a computer program deep within the memory core of many First Fleet destroyers that had, somehow, been triggered by Veers to shut down all critical systems. None of the ships from the Fourth seemed to be affected, and neither was Sentinel, perhaps because the flagship was older than most ships in the First.
The Fourth Fleet, battered as it was, remained the force best fit to confront Veers and the Second at Yaga Minor. It already controlled the capital and Bilbringi. And that, by certain logic, meant that Davek Fel was now the most powerful man in the Empire.
He didn't feel it. As he stood in the wreckage of his life he started to feel something else, something that filled the emptiness that had yawned inside of him at first sight of his burnt-out old home. It wasn't power, but a very limited certainty. He knew what had to be done next. He had no idea what would happen after that, but he knew what had to be done.
"Do you remember the last time we spoke with my father? It was right here." He gestured to a scorched wall and the living room beyond.
"He said the Empire is a question. That is has been since Palpatine died."
"I have an answer." It felt good to say it, liberating. She stared, expecting more. "Not everyone's going to like it. A lot of Jedi aren't going to like it. But I need you to stay with me. We need to take the fight to Veers next."
"I know."
"I can't guarantee anyone's safety here. My mother and the children need to go to Ossus. Not all the Jedi, but I want them safe."
"Your mother won't like that."
"She won't like a lot of things soon. Neither will Arlen." He could already see the judgment in their eyes. Just imagining hurt, but he could face it later if he survived what came first. "I need you with me, Marasiah. I need you to stay loyal."
"To you?" She raised a brow. "Or to the Empire?"
"Both. We're one in the same. But so are you."
She tilted her head; a question.
"These people need a leader. They need a symbol they can put their trust in. Something they can follow, like a guiding star. I can't be that alone. We need to be that symbol together."
She took a breath. "I think I know what you're asking. I don't like it."
"Neither do I. But it has to be done. Otherwise everything my father lived and died for meant nothing."
"Will Arlen see it that way?"
He looked back out the window, at the dark clouds and darker city. "No. But he's not part of the Empire anymore."
"Davek-"
"He chose that. He did. And let's be honest. He never belonged here anyway."
"He's still your brother."
"I know."
She hugged herself a little tighter and looked at the floor. Faint rain pattered the walls. "Are you ready to go?"
No, he thought, and he never would be. But it had to be done. He clicked on his comlink and told the police airspeeder to come pick him up. He took one last look through the ruined window then walked for the door. As he passed Marasiah he held out his hand. She took it, squeezed, and followed him out of his place of safety forever.
-{}-
After over a decade as the most powerful woman in the galaxy, Allana still wasn't used to standing on the sidelines, watching drama play out that she couldn't control. The situation on Bastion had been excruciating to follow, not least because so many people she loved were caught in the mess. The Imperial news networks had all been shut down but the Jedi Temple on Ossus retained communication with the Academy on Bastion. They got reports of the siege as it happened, and after the bloody battle they got tallies of dead and wounded, of which none of her family was a part.
Then had come the call from Arlen, direct to Allana from Starlight Champion. Information had spilled out of him in a garble but he made clear that Veers had effectively fled Bastion with his super star destroyer and fallen back to Yaga Minor. He also said he was racing out of Imperial Space alone, for reasons he didn't specify, and heading to Balmorra, where his ex-wife and daughter were expecting an appearance by a Sith Lord who'd been daylighting as Retor of Kuhvult.
Allana could picture him from memory: A handsome, fit man about her age with a shaved head and bemused smile. The Kuati aristocrat has been elected Chairman of the KDY Board of Governors during the closing months of her term as Chief of State and had treated her to an embarrassingly elaborate banquet at the Kuati Embassy. According to rumor he'd thrown money behind Kyrr Esch's opponent in the election to succeed Allana, but there'd been no indication he was a Sith.
That, she thought, marked the second time she'd sat down and shared genial conversation with a Sith Lord, suspecting nothing. The second time she knew of. Arlen had assuaged her guilt, saying he'd shared drinks with Retor several times and felt nothing either. It made her feel a little better, but not much.
Arlen had requested a team of Jedi to help him take down Retor and Allana had been happy to send one. She'd been ready to grab her saber and join them- cracked ribs and healing armed be damned- when Arlen had reminded her they were going to be infiltrating a convention full of corporate executives who'd know her on sight.
So she'd diverted one of the teams en route to Bastion, wished Arlen luck, and sat back to wait for more news from Imperial space.
When INN started broadcasting again it was near midnight on her part of Ossus but mid-afternoon on Ravelin. The reporter gave a short preamble, apologizing for the halt in the broadcast and summarizing only a little of what had happened the night before.
Then she announced they were cutting over to a statement by Admiral Davek Fel.
Davek appeared at a podium inside some high-roofed hall. Behind him was a line of people facing forward, hands at their sides. Allana spotted a few Jedi unfamiliar Jedi in brown robes, stormtroopers in white armor, officers in grey uniforms, including a few non-humans. Above the backdrop of people was a wide Imperial crest. It was, she thought, the kind of display to compel both patriotism and obedience.
Davek's face was tired, bags under the eyes, but his posture was straight and his voice was strong. "People of the Empire, I'm speaking to you today from a city scarred by battle. As you've likely heard, Ravelin was the site of unprecedented combat. Imperial soldiers battled Imperial soldiers. Yesterday was a tragedy. The fighting here is over. Bastion is secure, but the war for the Empire's soul is far from over."
He paused, as if gathering thoughts, the continued. "A century ago, the institution we call the Galactic Empire was far different from what we know today. It spanned the entire galaxy and ruled with unprecedented power. It secured safety and security for all its citizens. It also brutalized dissenters. Non-humans were forbidden their deserved rights. Brave Jedi Knights were hunted to near-extinction. That Empire was the creation of one man, and it has not existed since the death of Emperor Palpatine.
"Some still wish it existed. Those men include Corrien Veers, who attempted a second Jedi purge last night. He failed, in no small part thanks to the brave Imperial citizens who took to the streets of Ravelin in support of the knights who've fought and died to protect you all from the raiders. When Veers realized his failure, Supreme Commander Hallis and I gave him a chance to step back from the line he'd crossed and negotiate a truce. Instead Veers has fled the capital and makes camp at Yaga Minor, where even now brave Yagai citizens are fighting for the chance to live as equals in our Empire.
"Veers will be held to account. Those who deny the march of history and seek to change the Empire back to what it was will fail. That is not a statement of my intention, that is a statement of fact. The Old Republic died and was replaced by the New Republic. That was replaced in turn by the Galactic Alliance. So it is with us.
"The Galactic Empire must change to survive. Our Empire will not be Palpatine's empire of darkness. It will be an empire of light. Every loyal citizen will have to chance to prosper, regardless of species. Order and security will be guaranteed for all. The military, our most trusted institution, will continue to defend these values under the leadership of Supreme Commander Hallis. The Jedi, too, will serve the Empire more closely, more directly than ever before."
Allana sucked in breath. She saw where this was going. Davek plowed ahead, saying, "Some of those who moved against the Jedi Order last night did so in good conscience, because they'd seen evidence, real but falsely presented, to imply that the Jedi had acted against the Empire's interest. As admiral of the Fourth Fleet, I did everything I could to use Jedi Knights from the academy on Bastion. Over these past turbulent months more than twenty of them have died to defend the Empire, over one-fifth of their total number. The Jedi Order based on Ossus exists outside any secular government. Because the Jedi have existed outside the official command structure of the military, they've have sometimes acted outside acknowledged codes of conduct. They have meant well, but sometimes they have skirted Imperial law for greater good.
"Those days are over. I am now announcing that the knights on Bastion will function independent of the leadership on Ossus. We have no wish to antagonize the Jedi Order. Far from it, we want to remain on the best terms, but all the Jedi in the Empire must remain loyal to the Empire above all else. In this way I guarantee our Imperial Knights will protect the Empire as never before."
"Oh, Davek," Allana whispered. There was only one thing left for him to say.
"I tell you this not as admiral of the Fourth Fleet. Today marks the christening of a new Empire and a new leadership, but that empire was not born today. It was born decades ago, when my father Jagged Fel assumed command after the death of Grand Admiral Pellaeon. For the rest of his life Jagged Fel devoted himself to carrying on Pellaeon's ideal of an empire that was as open and equal as it was orderly and safe. He died to continue that goal. It was he who made the Empire what it is today, and in his honor I declare myself the second Emperor Fel.
"I swear on the blood of my father that I will carry on his legacy. I will make our Empire of light open and equal, orderly and safe. As Emperor I will protect all our citizens from those who would break my father's dream.
"Thank you for listening."
The imagine winked off. The INN reporter reappeared, staring at her audience, stunned beyond words.
Allana killed the transmission. She sat back in the dark of her chambers, uncertain whether to feel encouraged or appalled, knowing only that from this there was no going back: not for the Empire, not for the Jedi, not for a family now divided.
