Davek knew that when he arrived on Bastion and declared his intention to invade the Hapes Cluster, he would get considerable pushback. He'd made himself Emperor but he was determined not to be a tyrant, and he told his chief subordinates to speak their opinions without fear of reprisal.

Supreme Commander Hallis and Intelligence Director Vennefara objected most strongly. Both were too professional to get outright angry with him, but he'd never heard their voices raised to quite that volume.

"Majesty, we've barely had the resources to monitor Hapes from afar," Vennefara told him when he gathered both to his office aboard the Jagged Fel. He'd figured it was best to tackle them together. "We've been putting everything we have into tracking the Restorationists. We cannot take our fleets to battle until we have a proper estimation of the enemy."

"Then you'll put all our resources into that immediately," Davek told him. "In the meantime we'll make plans based on the information the Jedi have provided."

Relying on Jedi didn't give either of them comfort. Hallis said, "It's been barely a week since Kovix-589. Repairs have progressed quickly but I must strongly advise against taking them out so soon. It would be especially bad for the morale of our soldiers. They've just finished one war. You promised them, Majesty, that they could put down their swords after we took out Veers and Grave."

"I don't plan on taking every ship we have. Only enough as necessary."

"The Hapans will not simply surrender when they see a larger fleet," warned Vennefara. "From what we do know, Queen Serissa had trained a fanatically loyal military. Many of her best officers are men or women from the lower classes. They owe her for their elevation.

Davek, who'd ordered a major push to enlist non-humans in his navy, allowed a slight smile. "Ironic, isn't it?"

"They will not give in easily. They will make us pay in blood for any victory," Hallis warned. "Your Majesty, please, I beg you to reconsider."

When he saw the pleading in their eyes Davek was tempted. Both men had served him with utmost loyalty and competence. If he went through with this it would lower him in their eyes and damage his relationship with them long after the mission was done.

But in the choice between disappointing them and disappointing Arlen and what remained of his mother, there was no hesitation.

"I understand your concerns. Believe me, I do, but this has to be done. Queen Serissa has slaughtered millions of her people and it's a shame on rest of the galaxy that she's been allowed to do it. More importantly, the forces that engineered Veers' war against us are also behind Serissa. No one will be safe until they're removed."

"But what then?" asked Hallis. "If you remove Serissa, what happens? Another tyrant might take control, with the same allies."

"No. The Jedi and the Hapan exiles are going to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Will the Hapan people respect Allana Djo as their new queen?" Vennefara asked skeptically.

"The nobles who deposed her mother were liquidated in Serissa's purges. Most of them don't even remember having a Jedi queen, only a Sith one."

"And you believe they'll be more receptive to a Jedi?" Vennefara asked. "Many Hapans have benefitted from Serissa's rule, ugly as it has been. Otherwise she wouldn't have her loyal military."

"You know what kind of leader Allana is from her time helming the Alliance." Davek looked between them. "She healed the wounds in Senex-Juvex. She can do the same in whatever new Hapes is formed once the Sith are gone. And you can't deny she'd be a far less bloody queen."

"No, we cannot," sighed Hallis. "Your Majesty, all my other points still stand. I believe an invasion of Hapes is a hasty, foolhardy decision that will cost too many lives and gain the Empire little."

Davek saw the old admiral stiffen. He didn't need the Force to know Hallis expected to be relieved of his position. He glanced at Vennefara. "Your opinion, Director?"

"The same, Majesty."

"If I give the order, will you use every resource to gather intel on the Hapans' naval capabilities, including cooperation with the Hapan exiles and your Alliance counterpart?"

The Elomin nodded. "I will."

"Then you're so ordered. Supreme Commander Hallis, I've valued your service for many years. I would like to value it in the future. That's why I've decided to directly coordinate the assets for this mission. That includes using selecting every ship and captain for the invasion fleet. Are you willing to direct the disposition of our forces that remain in Imperial Space?"

Uncertainty clouded his face, but Hallis nodded too.

"Thank you, gentlemen. You're dismissed."

They saluted and left Davek alone. It had frankly gone better than expected; he'd been prepared for Hallis' resignation but it seemed the man still wanted to serve, even in limited capacity.

Having to plan the entire invasion himself left Davek with more than enough to do. He's sent Marasiah and his sons back to Ossus to coordinate between the Jedi and Imperial Knights, and on the long lonely flight back from Zonama Sekot he'd kept busy with several dozen calls to different captains and admirals. He'd already gathered a substantial list of ships willing and able to join his hasty, foolhardy mission. Admiral Jaeger's Afsheen Makati was still undergoing repairs from the recent battle but he was willing to transfer his flag and senior staff to the Thrawn, an older but still-mighty destroyer of the same model. Captain Korak, another trustworthy Voidwalker, was willing to bring his battle group.

Over the past eight years Davek had grown used to commanding from the bridge of the Jagged Fel. It was a fine ship and a worthy ode to his father. Hallis and Vennefara were very correct in warning not to underestimate Serissa's fleet. With that in mind, he patched a call from his office's comm system to Yaga Minor, where his captured super star destroyer was being worked over.

He had to wait five minutes, and the first thing General Lukas Briggs said when his holo-image appeared was, "I'm very sorry for the delay, Your Majesty."

"Perfectly acceptable, General. I'm sure your work is keeping you quite busy."

"That it has, sir."

"I'd like your opinion, General. Based on the rate of repairs so far and the capability of the Yaga Minor 'Yards, can your super star destroyer be battle-ready in one week's time?"

The shock was plain on Briggs' face. Davek had expected rumors of a new operation to have flitted down to him by now. The general said, "It's… possible, sir. Nemesis took little damage in the fight at Kovix, but there's a lot of older scars from other battles. The Restorationists patched them up, but you could tell they were mostly using scavenged and black-market supplies. I just gave the order to tear out some of their repair jobs and re-do them properly."

"Can those re-dos be finished in a week?"

"I… Yes, Majesty. I'll have to allocate more manpower, but yes."

Davek still heard reticence. "What else is there, General?"

"Majesty, Nemesis was staffed with crews loyal to Veers from the moment it left drydock. None of our people have ever served on it before. They don't know its systems. There's been a few Restorationists who've volunteered to teach us about the ship, but there's still a lot of learning to be done."

"Do you think more prisoners might be willing to teach if I offer them amnesty?"

The general's brows drew together. "I'm sure there would be. Your Majesty… May I ask what kind of action you'd want Nemesis for?"

Davek explained everything he needed to know, and watched a succession of surprise, denial, acceptance, and resolve wash over the general's face. Davek had mentally flipped back and forth on whether he wanted to use Veers' super star destroyer, but his mother's last request had decided him. If he was going to bring his war-weary fleet against the Hapans he couldn't afford to throw away his most crushing weapon. He just needed to make Veers' sword his own.

It took Briggs a long moment to process all Davek told him. Finally he said, "I understand why you want to use Nemesis, Your Majesty. It will be repaired, crewed, and battle-ready in one week."

"Thank you, General. When we go into battle I'll be planting my flag on that ship. As you'll be most familiar with its systems, I'd like you to captain it."

Another moment of shock, and another nod. Davek had known since Voidwalker that Briggs always got the job done when it counted.

"And one last thing, General. That ship is no longer Nemesis. As of this moment I'm officially returning it to its original name."

"Invincible it is, sir," Briggs nodded. "I never liked Veers' name for it anyway."

"Indeed. Thank you for your service, General. You know what you have to do."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Briggs snapped a salute. Davek favored him with a restrained and regal nod, then shut off the connection.

That dropped his office into soft silence again. Everything was still on track to happen as it should, but he knew he had one more call to make and he did not expect this one to go as well. Deciding there was no choice but to get it over with, Davek hailed his adoptive cousin Kanarn on his Chiss Ascendancy destroyer.

Kanarn took about as long to receive the call as Briggs, and when his image appeared over Davek's console the Chiss greeted the emperor with a polite bow. "Greetings. I'm very sorry to hear about your mother."

"Thank you, Captain."

"My mother sends condolences also. She said to tell you that she'd always respected the woman strong enough to steal Jagged away."

Davek was tired, but he gave an honest smile. That was indeed something his Aunt Wyn would say. "Give her my regards. However, I'm not calling about my mother. I wanted to know about the disposition of your ships."

"We're at Bilbringi right now, getting final refits. Two days ago the order from Csilla came down to officially end our mission and return to Ascendancy space."

Davek's only surprise was that Kanarn's commanders had waited a week since the battle to do so. The Chiss Ascendancy was never enthusiastic about actions outside its borders. Now that Veers was dead and therefore punished for his crimes against the Chiss, there was no reason for Kanarn to stay.

"I want you to now that our navy will be taking action again soon, this time outside Imperial Space."

Kanarn looked confused. "Where?"

"The Hapes Cluster. We'll be going to remove Serissa Lohr from power and install Queen Allana Djo on her rightful throne."

In all the years he'd known Kanarn, Davek had never seen the Chiss's jaw drop wide in shock. When he finally brought it up he said, "That is… a radical undertaking."

"I don't expect the Ascendancy to pitch in ships for this fight. However, if they have any intelligence they're willing to share on Hapes, no matter how small, I would consider it a personal favor to be paid back later."

"I will relay your request," Kanarn said dully. His face was full of questions but he knew his cousin the Emperor would only tell him what he was necessary.

"This will be a special collaboration between the Empire, the Hapan exile community, and the Jedi Order. The galactic community has allowed Serissa's tyranny to go on for too long. If the Alliance will not act with moral authority, we will," Davek said. It was how he planned to phrase it when he announced this mission officially.

Kanar knew there was more than that, but he nodded again. "I will inform my commanders. And… Davek… Good luck."

"Thank you, Kanarn," Davek returned a smile. "And thank you for all your help these past years. Please, give your mother my love."

"I will. Is there anything else?"

"Not at this time."

"Goodbye, Your Majesty." Kanarn snapped his hand up in a salute. Davek knew Chiss rules about saluting foreign leaders. He knew it wasn't done. He took in that small, grand gesture with an approving nod, then killed the connection.

-{}-

It felt very strange for Marasiah to be among Jedi again. As Empress and First Knight her primary duty had been to make the Imperial Knights into an order that was like the Jedi but different, more militant than monastic, explicitly political in the way the Jedi tried hard not to be. She hadn't allowed herself to wonder what the Jedi, to whom she'd once belonged, thought of her Knights. Doubt wasn't just a luxury in wartime, it was a danger.

It could still be those things, and she was lucky that Arlen gave no hint of judgment. He was as focused on the task ahead as she was, but beneath that she could detect a core of humming optimism. He was working with his brother again after all this time, and it had sparked new life in him. That was no surprise; she'd seen it in Davek as well. For all their differences and all the times they hadn't gotten along, the sons of Jaina Solo complemented and needed each other. She hoped a successful mission on Hapes would be glue that bound the Jedi and Imperial Knights closer for years to come.

They had plenty to do while Davek prepared his fleet for battle. The second day after the return to Ossus, Marasiah met Arlen, Jade and Lowbacca in one of the Jedi's spartan meditation chambers. She'd decided to bring her sons along; as Imperial Princes they deserved their piece in the decision-making.

"We can muster close to two hundred able-bodied Knights for this mission," Arlen explained. "The question is what we're going to do with them. We need to decide how we'll split up for two targets."

"Davek plans on leading the Imperial fleet to Hapes," Marasiah told them. "He's going to publicly commit himself to removing Serissa. That means he has to do it himself. Just getting to Hapes is going to be a hard slog, so he's diverting about two-third of his forces to that fight. The rest will go to Shedu Maad under the command of Admiral Jaeger."

"Once Serissa knows a fleet is coming for her, the Sith will know we're coming for them," said Jade. "That means we need to act very fast to blockade Shedu Maad so they can't move ships out."

Lowbacca gave a series of roars Marasiah couldn't understand. Arlen explained, "The thing about Shedu Maad is that it's very hard to get into and get out of. Jaeger can lay siege easily but you can be sure the Hapans will have ships and mines blocking passage through the ice-clouds around the planet. He should probably send an advance forced to surround Shedu Maad before Davek sends the rest of his fleet."

"I'll let them know," Marasiah nodded. "Grand Master, I'll assume you'll want to the lead the Jedi against the Sith."

The Wookiee gave an affirmative roar. Jade added, "I'll be going too."

"Davek is going to position us as allies of Allana and the Hapan exiles. That means most of the Knights will be going to Hapes."

"Have you decided which ones?" asked Vitor.

"Not specifically. I'd like to combine Jedi and Knights on both fronts."

Lowbacca roared again and Arlen said, "We agree."

"The first group of Imperial Knights have already left Bastion and are inbound for Ossus. They'll be bringing all the cortosis we recovered from the Restorationists."

"How much did you find?" asked Arlen.

"By the end they were low on the armor and were only giving it to elite troops. The only ones we found were aboard Nemesis and it's not enough to suit everyone, but it can still be useful."

Lowbacca roared something and Arlen suggested, "If we have limited amounts, we can make bucklers or shields out of the stuff. We have forges that can do that."

"That should surprise the Sith," Jade nodded.

"Did you ever figure out how Veers got enough cortosis for stormtrooper armor?" Arlen asked Marasiah. "It's a really hard material to come by."

"According to some of the Restorationists we captured, it was a gift from a certain Kuati ally."

"Retor," the Jedi said darkly. "I don't suppose we ever learned what happened to him."

Marasiah shook her head. "We didn't find a trace of him on Nemesis. He probably escaped or was destroyed in the attempt."

"I don't think we're lucky enough for the second option."

"Darth Terrid says Retor- Darth Kroan- was on his side during the Sith schism," Jade said. "Which means at least we won't have to worry about running into him on Shedu Maad. Which is something."

"We'll have to take what we can get," Arlen shrugged. "It's good your Knights are coming with spoils, but we still need to decide who goes where."

Lowbacca roared and Arlen nodded soberly. "You're right. The more Jedi on Shedu Maad… the better."

"And Davek insists on Imperial Knights at Hapes," Marasiah said. "As Princes, Vitor and Roan should probably go there and protect Allana."

She glanced at her sons and caught a faint but determined nod from Vitor. His mood seemed to have improved since they'd left Zonama Sekot. He was still more quiet and pensive than usual, but she sensed less uncertainty beneath his thoughts.

Roan asked, "Is there a plan on taking the Hapan capital? And how do we know Serissa will be there?"

"We don't," said Marasiah. "But from what we can tell, she doesn't command from the front line so she probably won't be on a Battle Dragon fighting your father."

"Probably," Jade echoed. "There's a lot of probablies. I don't like it."

"No one does," said Arlen. "Right now, Roan, we don't have a concrete plan to get inside the Fountain Palace, which is where we'll assume Serissa will be. Even if she'd not inside it's essential we take it. Allana says it was an armored bunker disguised as a pretty statehouse when she lived there forty years ago. I'm sure the Sith made it even more defended."

"But you're lacking updated intelligence," Roan said simply.

"Unfortunately, yes. But like I said, we have to do what we can."

Marasiah sensed her younger son was about to say more, but he held back. Instead Vitor spoke up. "I agree that the Knights need to have a presence on Hapes. But Mom… I think you should go to Shedu Maad."

"Why is that?"

"We want to combine teams. The Jedi are going to need good Knights at their back when they go into the Sith Temple. You're the strongest of us. And more importantly… I think Dad would want it."

He couldn't have known that Davek had suggested the same on their last conversation. Vitor added, "Grandma wanted it too, I think. Having you and Uncle Arlen fighting together would do a lot to bring the Jedi and Imperial Knights closer."

Vitor knew something about the power of symbols. He would make a good Emperor one day. She favored him with a wry smile. "You're wise beyond your years, Prince."

He looked away, not out of embarrassment but something else. "I just think it's the best plan for everyone."

"So long as you and Roan are watching each other's backs," added Arlen.

"We will," Vitor nodded firmly. "And I think Marin wants to come too."

Marasiah watched as Arlen's tight smile turned bittersweet. Both parents knew how close their children had been once. Tearing them a part, knowing how much that hurt their children and being unable to help, was something they wished they'd never had to experience.

Maybe this really was Jaina's last wish, come true. She still didn't see the Imperial Knights rejoining the Jedi Order, but if this mission knit the broken fabric of the Fel family it would be worth it. Win or fail it would be worth it.

-{}-

"It sounds like it's set," Vitor told Marin after leaving the meeting. "We'll both be going to Hapes."

He found her in the Temple's main hangar, fiddling with her X-wing. She seemed to do that a lot. He hadn't noticed her spending any time with other Jedi on Ossus since their arrival.

"Did you have to press for it?" she asked as she leaned against the starboard engine casing.

"My mother suggested it. My father's going to be leading the attack on Hapes and he wants as many Knights as possible protecting Allana and the other exiles."

"Makes sense," Marin nodded. "Where's she going to be?"

"She'll be going to Shedu Maad. So will your father." Marin stared, expecting more. "I suggested it. But I think she was leaning in that direction anyway."

"Why did you suggest it?"

He sighed and stepped closer, beneath the shadow of the S-foil. "I think it would be… better for her to stay away."

She frowned. "You haven't told her, have you?"

"I haven't told anyone except you."

Marin sighed. "Oh, Vitor… Is this really what you want to do?"

"I don't want them worrying about me when they're fighting Sith. It's better like this, really. I'll say goodbye in my own way." She stared in silence, dark eyes boring into him and saying more than words. "I mean it. I don't want to burden them with this."

"You're just burdening me, then?" Her voice choked.

He sighed. "I didn't want to. I just…"

"I understand," she sniffed. "I'll watch your back. No matter what."

"I'm glad I have someone to do that." It was true. Since telling Marin he felt lighter, less anxious and more certain.

"What about Roan?"

"I think he's going to come down to Hapes with us."

"And you won't tell him either?"

He'd thought about that one. It was harder than with his parents, because at least with them he'd know the last time when he'd look them in the eye. There was no way to know what would happen to his brother on Hapes. Roan might die too. Roan might be there to see Serissa kill him. They might get separated and never have a chance to say goodbye.

Uncertainty was still the worst part of it all. Despite that he'd made the same decision regarding Roan and for the same reasons. "I don't want him distracted either. So I won't tell him."

"Okay. That's your choice." Marin sighed. "I'll do enough worrying for them all. Is that okay?"

"I can't stop you," he said with the hint of a smile.

She smiled back, but her eyes were sad. He wished he'd get to see them otherwise, just one more time, but he knew by now that was not his fate.

-{}-

"Mother says they're bringing new lightsabers for you and Vitor," Roan told his cousin. He'd found Mohrgan and Treis in one of the sparring rooms in the Jedi Temple's lower level, but they'd been loitering instead of practicing. According to Treis they'd done a lot of already while Roan was on Zonama Sekot.

"That's good to know," Mohrgan said. "It wouldn't feel right, going into battle with a colored blade."

Roan smirked, because Vitor had said the same thing, but Treis' expression was shadowed. When they'd be stuck here during the battle at Kovix he'd been the patient one. Now that he'd learned of their new mission he'd turned anxious, and Roan knew exactly why.

"I think it's better that we're going to Hapes," he said. "It seems like it will be more a conventional battle, like we're used to. Shedu Maad is going to be Jedi versus Sith."

"Your mother's going."

That had surprised Roan a little. "Some Imperial Knights should go to Shedu Maad to stand with the Jedi."

"But not us."

"Do you want to go to Shedu Maad?" asked Mohrgan, incredulous.

Treis sighed and shook his head. "I don't know what I want."

"If you want to fight Sith we'll probably still found some on Hapes," Roan said. "If that's what you want."

"I said I don't know."

"The Jedi say revenge is a gateway to the Dark Side," Mohrgan said. "They're probably not wrong."

"I understand that," Treis insisted. "And whatever we run into on Hapes… I'll be thinking about the mission, not revenge on the Sith."

He sounded to Roan like a man trying to convince himself. He hoped his friend succeeded. They'd all need clear heads for the dangerous mission ahead.

He had his own nagging distractions. The meeting with his mother and the Jedi had confirmed that they really would be going into the Fountain Palace blind. That could end in all manner of disaster unless they got better intelligence. He knew someone who could give them what they needed, but he'd been loathe to bring it up with Elliah Chalk so far. Since returning from Ossus he'd avoided her entirely, but when he'd spotted her wandering, apparently listless, through the Temple halls he'd felt the urge to tell her.

There was only one thing to really do with that urge, and the sooner he acted the better. After he left Treis and Mohrgan he went to seek her out. The Jedi Temple was huge but he was aware of a few spots she liked to haunt. After checking all the practice rooms to make sure she wasn't watching anyone spar, Roan went up to the large garden that looked west out onto the desert. He found her and Hogrum both sitting near the shallow pond at the garden's center. Their poses were relaxed but he could feel their restlessness in the Force. They knew something big was happening and wondered what part, if any, they'd play. Again, they weren't much different from him.

Roan approached them quietly from behind, but when Elliah turned to see him there was no surprise on her face. Maybe her Force-senses were getting better.

"Hi," she said simply. "It's been a while. I thought you were avoiding us."

"I've been busy," he lied.

"I'm sorry about your grandmother. From what some of these Jedi have been telling us, she was an amazing woman."

"She was. But we all got to talk to her before it was over. It was… as good as it could be."

"I'm glad." Elliah looked at her little brother. "We've been mostly bored, haven't we?"

"We know what's going on," Hogrum said. "Are you going to Hapes?"

"I will be. My father will be leading a battle fleet to liberate your world. I'm sure that must be… exciting for you."

Both siblings looked ambivalent. Elliah explained, "Hapes was home, but we were young when we fled."

"I don't actually remember it very well," Hogrum admitted.

"All I really remember is the insides of the Fountain Palace," said Elliah. "And after spending so long with the loyalists and all those old nobles… I can't say I cared for most of them."

"I thought you'd care about freeing your homeworld."

"Of course we do," Elliah insisted, and he felt disappointment. If they hadn't he could walk out of here without asking anything of them.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know your feelings are complicated."

Elliah looked down at her the pool. "Everyone says those exiles and that Jedi queen are really different from the Hapans we knew. I hope that's true. I hope they can make a better Hapes when this is all over."

"Have you talked to Allana Djo yet?"

"No," Elliah said, like the idea had never occurred to her. Curiously she asked, "Have you met her?"

"I can't say I know her very well… But she's a relative."

"Your relative?" echoed Hogrum. "How?"

"It's complicated. But… I think it might be good for you to talk to her."

Elliah was just looking at him, like she was seeing something new. It occurred to him that she, too, was a relative to a Hapan queen, though their cousins couldn't be more different. When their eyes met she jerked, just a little, and looked away. "Why would she want to talk to us? I know some of those loyalists were talking about putting me on the throne if they ever got rid of Serissa, but I don't want that. I doubt she does."

"It's not about that," Roan said, and let it all spill out. He explained that the Jedi's knowledge of the Fountain Palace was decades out of date, and that they'd need something better if they wanted to remove Serissa. He didn't actually make the request. He just watched grim understanding settle on their faces.

"I'm sure that even if you just tell us what you remember, it will help a lot," he said. "We can compare them with Allana's memories and construct a better map to follow."

"That's not as good as an in-person guide," said Elliah.

"This is going to be very dangerous. There's no need to risk your life."

"You're going and you're the same age as me," she said defensively.

"I'm also an Imperial Knight. I'm used to risking my life, and for better or worse I know how to take it."

Elliah took his point, but said, "Still. I can't guarantee I'd get it right if I tried to make a map from memory. I can picture all the rooms and halls and hidden corridors, but if they're in my head they're kind of a jumble… I don't want to get it I wrong. A wrong map's worse than no map at all and a guide's way better than either."

He didn't know Elliah Chalk well, but somehow he'd been sure this would end with her volunteering. It made him like her even more; it also made him terrified he might make a mistake to get her killed.

Hogrum tugged his sister's sleeve. "Do you really want to go back?"

"Not really. But they need help." She squeezed his hand. "There's no need for you to risk your life. Stray here where it's safe."

Hogrum looked like he'd never considered anything else. He said to Roan, surprisingly fierce, "If you let something happen to my sister, I'll never forgive you."

"I won't either," he said, very serious.

Elliah looked away from them both. Roan could tell the full weight of what she'd volunteered for was still settling.

"We dropped Allana on New Hapes coming back here," he told her, "But I think she's back now. You should go talk to her."

The resolve on Elliah's face suddenly wilted. "You don't think she'd… hold it against me, being related to Serissa?"

He gave her an encouraging smile. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

-{}-

As she'd left Zonama Sekot, Allana had known she was leaving behind the last bit of peace she'd see in a long time. On New Hapes she reconvened with Tanith, who'd been mustering supplies, weapons, and willing fighters from the Hapan exiles. After a whirlwind of preparation they loaded everything they had into a few cargo haulers and set course for Ossus.

There was another whirlwind waiting there, and Allana was quickly swept away. In the first three hours after her arrival she met with Lowbacca and Arlen, then K'Kruhk, then Marasiah Fel and, via holo-link, her husband. When that was all done she re-convened with Tanith in her living space on one of the pyramid's higher levels. The younger woman had spent the same three hours going through a rush of meetings of her own, talking with some Imperial military officials and acting as liaison between them and her modest volunteer force.

Despite the non-stop frenzy, neither of them grew tired. When Allana looked at Tanith she couldn't mistake the excitement in her eyes. Since childhood, Tanith had dreamed of going back to Hapes and retaking it from the ones who'd killed her parents. Most of those killers had in turn been eradicated by Serissa, but the Sith menace behind it all remained. For all the stress, all the uncertainty, Tanith Zel couldn't wait to begin the fight.

Allana felt some of that rush, but it mixed with all kinds of trepidation and regret. Tanith's pure enthusiasm made her feel her age. The loss of Hapes had split her life almost exactly in half. The earlier half had sculpted her in many ways, but she felt the second half of her life, the life in exile, had made her into the woman she was now. Tanith and the other exiles saw her as Queen of Hapes, rightful heir to her deposed mother and inheritor of the throne. Allana thought of herself as a Jedi Master first, and then former head of the Alliance. Monarch was third down the line. If this mission was successful- and she prayed it would be- then that third mantle would become all of her. She knew from her mother how crushing the weight of ruling could be. The Hapes she'd take from Serissa would be radically transformed and horribly wounded. As Alliance Chief of State she'd tackled the task of rebuilding Senex-Juvex, but she'd been much younger then, and that region's pains were less personal.

Those anxieties could be fatally distracting, and she tried to put them aside as she listened to Tanith. She was describing her conversations with several of Davek Fel's chief officers, had while Allana was speaking with the emperor himself. As an aid, she brought up a holo-map showing the topography around the administrative city of Chume'Dan and the Fountain Palace.

"We still don't know exactly what defenses Serissa will have, but the Imperials are planning for a major collision around the planet."

"I'm sure she'll do everything we can to keep from getting on the ground," said Allana.

"The loyalists we rescued can't tell us much about the Palace, but they did have some reasonably up-to-date intel on the city and its defenses. They're very powerful, as you can imagine, but also localized."

"I remember," Allana said. Because their secluded star cluster hadn't faced a war in generations, the Hapans had never installed full-cover planetary shields over the homeworld. "How far does it extend around the city?"

"The umbrella has a radius of twenty kilometers."

Not so local, Allana thought. "Doesn't sound ideal for a ground assault."

"Not ground." Tanith tapped the edge of the map, where the Palace's bluffs fell into ocean.

"Do we have equipment for an amphibious assault?"

"The Imperials do. They'll be sure to defend the cliffs and probably the ocean itself, but we can drop assault teams from low-orbit directly into the water. From there they can progress fast, get under the shield perimeter, and launch a full attack."

"Getting close enough for drops won't be easy."

"No. Getting into the Fountain Palace is going to be even harder."

"I know," Allana sighed. "I'll guide your commando teams best I can, but I haven't been there in forty years. A lot will have changed."

"Your Majesty, I still feel that your presence on the ground is… unnecessary."

"I understand the risk."

"It's too big of one, if you want my opinion. I think you'd be safer on Davek Fel's flagship."

"I wouldn't be able to help you from there," she said, but they both knew it was more than that. The coup forty years ago had defined them in different ways, but for both it was the turning point in the story of their lives. The liberation of Hapes was painfully personal to Allana, and if she couldn't play a direct part in it, she'd feel she'd failed both as queen and Jedi Master.

Tanith opened her mouth to argue more, but a buzz from the door interrupted.

"Come in," Allana called.

The door slid open. She was surprised to see Roan Fel step through. Behind him was a teenage girl about the same age with long black hair. From her dress Allana could tell she was Hapan.

"It's good to see you, Roan," Allana said. "Tanith, if you don't mind, we can finish this later."

"Actually, Miss Zel, I think you should stay," said the prince. "This is Elliah Chalk. She has something important to tell you."

-{}-

"Word just came down," Jade Skywalker said as she stood before him, palm on the hilt of the lightsaber at her waist as a reminder that she could use it at any time. "The Imperials have started moving out. The initial task force will settle in the Maad system to prevent Sith from escaping. Then Emperor Fel will take his larger fleet for Hapes."

"So we'll be meeting them there?" asked Darth Terrid from his bench. Jade had left the door to his cell open when she'd stepped through. The narrow hallway beyond was his first glimpse of freedom in weeks.

"That's right."

"Fel shouldn't expect to just fly straight to Hapes. The capital world is at the center of the star cluster. Darth Saydel's navy will try and stop him at the outer systems."

"We're aware of that."

She wasn't going to tell him everything, but he hadn't expected her to. Terrid looked down at the shackles still on his wrists. After all this time he'd gotten used to their chafing. The Jedi surely knew he could snap his bindings whenever he chose; being a Sith was, after all, about breaking chains, or so he'd often told a Hapan princess. His shackles were a symbol of his submission.

"Will I be armed when we reach Shedu Maad?" he asked.

"That's not decided."

He looked up. "I won't be much use to you if I'm struck down the moment we land because I can't defend myself."

"I know."

He wasn't going to beg her to trust him. No one would trust a three-time traitor. He'd left the Chiss for the Jedi, Jedi for the Sith, and the Sith for his own vain ambition. During thhisese days of solitary confinement he'd felt washes of irrational nostalgia for his half-remembered childhood in Chiss space, his brief youth with Jade and Jodram, even scattered moments when he'd felt content to serve Darth Krayt. He knew he'd never been truly happy as any of those; hence the striving, hence the treason. The dream of something greater had always lured him on.

"I have no intention of betraying you," Terrid told her, not because it would make her trust him, but because he wanted her to understand. It was another irrational compulsion. "I have no loyalty to the Sith whatsoever. I want to hurt them much more than I'd ever want to hurt the Jedi."

"I believe you," she said. She was shielding her thoughts in the Force and he tried to read her face. That, too, was unyielding.

He placed his elbow on his knees so his bound wrists hung in front of her. "Our goals in this are the same. And I have… no desire to see you hurt."

It was true. When he looked at Jade he felt less nostalgia than envy. She'd had no easy life: she'd lost her mother, her father, her husband. Despite that she was a Jedi Master with Jedi sons, and for all the damage she'd taken she seemed to have found a place in her life that was content. It occurred to him that perhaps her lack of ambition, her aversion to the heavy destiny carried with her name, was the secret to that accomplishment. By comparison Terrid had been born into no legacy. He'd killed and betrayed over and over to create one and all his ambition had left him chained in a cell with a shattered leg.

As he looked at his shackles, he heard Jade's lightsaber snap to life. He looked up; the violet blade hummed a wrist's flick from his head. Jade shifted it and tapped downward. Light flashed through the link binding his wrists, then was gone.

The weight of the cuffs was still there, but he spread his wrists wide, flexed his arms and shoulders, and felt more free than he had since Orelon.

"Thank you," he said.

"Come with me. We have a healer who's willing to mend the cracks in your leg bone. The Grand Master will decide whether to arm you."

"Of course."

"I have a question."

He said, "Go ahead."

"What do you think you'll do after this?"

It was something he'd never asked himself. During his confinement his mind had been constantly drawn to pasts actual and possible. After so long striving and failing the future seemed to hold nothing for him.

"I will decide that," he said, "if I survive."

Jade looked down at him, judging him and, he thought, pitying him again. Then she hooked her lightsaber to her belt, turned her back to him, and walked out the door. It still hung open when she was gone.

Darth Terrid got to his feet. He shifted pain off his bad leg but it still hurt. He took short unsteady steps to the threshold. Jade was waiting for him in the hallway, and he followed her out of his cell.