It was Jade Skywalker's wish that she could be there for her son, but Kol had insisted that he face the Alliance senate alone. Therefore she remained on Ossus and watched the holo-broadcast along with a congregation of other Jedi.
He was at the central rostrum, the grand arena spread out all around and the triumvirs seated at the table behind him. He'd come to give a speech pleading for the backing of the Alliance, then answer hard questions. Instead he stood before a bedlam. His appearance began almost an hour behind schedule, and the reporter on the news broadcast had spent most of the lag time explaining all the causes for delay. Most of the seventy-eight worlds that had just made their pact with the Empire had withdrawn their representatives, leaving empty seats behind, but a few delegates had stayed to raise noisy protests. Senators from over two hundred planets, still seated with the Alliance, either joined the protests or withdrew their people in a show of disdain for the Jedi. In addition, over two hundred thousand protesters were estimated to have gathered outside the Senate hall and security was constantly combing the building in response to the hundred-plus bomb threats received in the past twenty-four hours alone.
When Kol finally did start speaking he was greeting by a chorus of jeers from hundreds of senators, which were in turn met by standing accolades from hundreds more. He stayed at his podium, silenced but steadfast, and waited almost five minutes for the hall to quiet down. In that time, a large faction of senators staged a walkout. The broadcast's commentator said that, with all these abstentions, the Senate still held a quorum required to pass a binding vote- but just barely.
"This might actually work in our favor," Nat said from the seat beside his mother. "If the anti-Jedi votes walk, the ones that stay can rule in our favor, with a majority."
With a roar, Lowbacca pointed out that the worlds which had walked away would refuse to accept the vote as legitimate. There was no way this meeting could end with the Alliance's credibility unscathed. Meanwhile, just the day before, Roan Fel had held a highly-publicized meeting with representatives from seventy-eight worlds that wished to secede from the Alliance and join the Empire.
"I've never seen this kind of political dysfunction before," Nat said gravely. "I never thought we'd be at the center of it."
Jade looked to K'Kruhk. The massive, ancient Whiphid was watching the broadcast with narrowed eyes and emotions closed off from the Force. Softly Jade asked him, "Does this remind you of the fall of the Old Republic?"
K'Kruhk shook his shaggy head. "No. In the Clone Wars, there was no discord in the Senate. Everyone fell under Palpatine's sway and it was terrifying."
Lowbacca moaned that it reminded him of the collapse of the New Republic during the first Yuuzhan Vong War.
"The first Yuuzhan Vong war," Nat echoed. "Are we already resigned to a second?"
"There's been peace between Bastion and Coruscant for over a century," Jade whispered. "I can't believe it will end now, like this…"
"Every peace ends," K'Kruhk said with knowing finality.
Lowbacca's son Karrashchakuk, sitting closest to the holo-projector, let out a roar to let everyone know the senate session had finally started. The Jedi hunched in silent attention and watched as Kol began his speech. He was still interrupted with bursts of boos, applause, or both simultaneously, but he plodded onward, describing the genesis of the Ossus Project and stressing the role the Alliance senate had had in approving it. He reiterated the lofty hopes for union and redemption that had driven the project, then stressed, repeatedly and in detail, the fact that Alliance investigators had found no sign of wrongdoing by any of the Yuuzhan Vong shapers or Jedi involved in the Ossus project.
Just when he was moving to wrap-up, a new voice boomed: "If the Vong are innocent, why did they flee into the Unknown Regions?"
The news-net's holo-cam swung around until it spotted the red-faced senator and marked him as the representative from the Atravis Sector. Then it swung back to Kol, who said patiently, "It was purely a matter of safety. Violent extremists have reached Zonama Sekot in the past and endangered it. We removed the chance it might happen again."
"And you removed any incriminating evidence!"
Seated behind Kol, Triumvir Gahan banged his gavel. "I'd remind the senator from Atravis that there is time for questions allotted after Master Skywalker's speech."
"It needs answering now!" another senator called.
"An answer was just provided. Master Skywalker, please continue your speech."
With admirable aplomb Kol continued, and this time Gahan muted any senator who attempted to interrupt. As he brought his speech to a close he said, "We understand your desire for justice. We share it absolutely. The Ossus Project should have been a chance for all our peoples to start again and heal wounds a century old. Instead it has become a nightmare perversion of everything were sought. The Jedi and our Yuuzhan Vong friends are enraged by this betrayal, and we are doing everything in our power to find the ones responsible.
"I know you are angry, and I know you want revenge now. But I plead with you, give us time. Working together the Alliance, Jedi, and Yuuzhan Vong can find the truth behind this catastrophe. Then, together, we will find justice. To act in haste and anger will bring no justice, only harm."
Jade was surprised by the ovation that got him. Many senators quickly rose to drown the cheering out with jeers, and it was another five minutes before Triumvir Gahan banged his gavel and announced that the question session had begun.
What followed was more of shouting match than an inquiry. Kol held his ground admirably, raising his voice only to be heard, while arguing senators interrogated each other more than the Jedi. Weariness grew plain on the faces of the three triumvirs, and finally Gahan closed the inquiry with more banging of his gavel and announced that time had come for a vote.
Kol stepped off the stage and joined the triumvirs at their table. The vote was as raucous an affair as everything else today. Many senators who'd sat through Kol's session only announced their boycott at the start of the vote. Another group stormed theatrically out of the senate chamber, while the frantic news reporter relayed that, even with this last walkout, the senate just barely held a quorum.
"No one's going to take this seriously," scowled Nat as actual votes started rolling in.
"It is legally binding," said K'Kruhk.
"Laws are only laws if people follow them. This…"
Nat waved a hand at the broadcast. The vote counter at the bottom of the holo ticked every few seconds. As the Jedi watched, it became clear that the number of votes in favor of Kol's proposal- and against recognizing the Anaxes Treaty as the seventy-eight worlds had requested- were taking a clear lead. It was impossible to feel cheered by this; had the senate hall been full, Jade knew they couldn't have won. This vote would pit Alliance and Empire on opposite sides of an incredibly combustible issue, and whatever Roan Fel said in private, his public face was that of a unified empire's strong leader. Strength and unity for the Alliance were long gone.
When the final tally was officially announced, with votes nearly two-thirds against recognizing the treaty, the hall was once more drowned out in applause and angry shouts. The view from the holo-camera swung close on the podium in the center where Jade's son sat with the three triumvirs. Nu Toreena's hammerheaded face was hard for Jade to read, but Gial Gahan's wide mouth was drooped into a frown and his bulbous eyes looked glassy. Bail Antilles ran a hand through hair, fingers clenched. And Jade's son, who'd spent his whole life trying to realize a dream where Jedi, Yuuzhan Vong, and Alliance peoples were gathered as one, kept his face inscrutably blank. Only a mother could see the deep sorrow in his shadowed eyes. It ached Jade to be far away and unable to help him, but she knew that were she right beside him there was still nothing she could do for her son, and that was the worst thing of all.
-{}-
It was the sight of Kol Skywalker sitting stoic at the senate podium that decided her. After denying it for weeks, trying to go about her business and pretending the galaxy wasn't falling apart around her, Marin Solo finally admitted that something had to be done.
As Fast Start plied the Perlemian coreward through the Expansion Region, Marin arranged for Benet to keep Ania busy in the auxiliary loading bay, ensconced herself in her office, and patched in a private and encrypted call to her father. It had been months since they'd last spoken, and far longer since she'd seen him in person. When his face appeared on the holo-image above her desk she was struck by the pure white of his beard and hair, even though she'd seen it before; somehow he was always younger in her mind's eye.
"Hi, Dad." She gave him a weak smile. "Long time no talk."
"It's good to hear from you," Arlen said. Understandable, there was little joy in his voice. "How are Benet and Ania?"
"They're holding up. Ania's hit that age where she'd old enough to listen to the news and know everything's gone to osik, but not old enough to really grasp it all. So we're trying to keep her mind busy with other things."
Arlen nodded soberly. "And your husband?"
"He's been pressuring me to get in contact with you for weeks. Honestly, Dad… it's not that I don't want to help. Really. I'm just not sure what I can do. But I wanted to check in, at least."
"I understand. Thank you. And I actually did have something in mind."
"Well. It's a good thing I called." She wondered if her father might have gotten some premonition, if the Force might still be working through her even after she'd declared herself rid of it.
"You know the Jedi are in dire straits now, and there's no telling what might happen next. We don't have many friends we can rely on, so we have to use the ones we've got. Marin, I need you to go to Denon and talk to Chance Calrissian."
That was someone Marin had thought she'd never see again. Chance was her father's oldest friend and co-owner of an interstellar industrial conglomerate that had its hands in everything from droid manufacturing the durasteel smelting. Chance was pushing ninety now and, best Marin knew, had handed over day-to-day operations to his daughter Chereth and his long-time parter, a mostly-legitimate Hutt named Volgma.
"If you give me their exact coordinates, I'll stop by. What am I going for exactly?"
"I'll send you the coordinates and more. Specifically, information on eleven credit accounts held at banks on Brentaal, Ralltiir, Coruscant, and Corellia. Tell Chance and Chereth we need their help in moving all funds into new accounts where they'll appreciate in secret."
Marin's face screwed up. "So this is about protecting the Jedi Order's finances?"
"Sometimes credits are as essential as the Force," Arlen said wryly. "Corulag, Commenor, and a half-dozen other planets just seized accounts affiliated with the Jedi, including ones where ownership was supposedly confidential."
"That's why you want me to go."
"Exactly. People know the Calrissians are friendly with the Order. If a known Jedi met with them- and the contents of that meeting got out- it could be bad for them and us."
"But if they meet with someone from Solo Shipping Incorporated, it'll be no big deal."
"Exactly. Marin, this money is important."
She had to smirk at that. Three decades and a lifetime ago, credits had been the furthest thing from her mind. Only after striking out on her own and starting a business with Benet did she realize that the larger galaxy depended on credits like Jedi depended on the Force. "I understand, Dad. I'll make sure the Jedi's assets are protected."
"Good. And once the Calrissians set up the new accounts, I want you to have executive access to all of them."
The thought of suddenly being a trillionaire made Marin's head flutter. "I'm not used to handling that kind of cash, Dad."
"I know. You'll be co-owners of the accounts along with the Calrissians."
"Okay." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Do the Jedi have plans for this money, aside from scurrying it away before it's taken from them?"
"Possibly."
Marin raised a brow.
"Contact me again once you've set everything up. We should have more figured out by then." Arlen added, "Give Chance my best, too."
"Of course, Dad. Is there anything else?"
"Maybe. Any chance I'll get to see my grandkid one of these days?"
He asked it with a grin, but she could tell he was serious. Marin hesitated; she'd gone to great lengths to separate her new life from her old one, and while she wasn't opposed to Arlen meeting Ania on principle, it would completely change her relationship with her daughter if Ania found out her mother had been a Jedi.
Arlen saw her balk and smiled, generously, regretfully. "Just something to think about. I'll send you all the account info after I log off. May the Force be with you, Marin."
"You too," she said, relieved.
The holo shut off. She stared at the blank bulkhead while her comm system downloaded the account data, wondering if the Force really could still be with her after she'd shoved it away.
When the download was complete, Marin went down four decks to Fast Start's secondary cargo bay. The cavernous space contained not just crates of cargo they were hauling inbound from the Tion Cluster, but the stout, narrow-winged body of the shuttle Runaround. They used the hyperdrive-capable ship for courier trips from time to time, and while it wasn't exactly spacious it was still a vast improvement over the ancient X-wing fighter Marin had flown about during her Jedi days.
Benet, Ania, and one of the astromech droids were going over cargo when they saw Marin approaching. She did her best to smile and gave Ania a squeeze on the shoulder.
"How's it coming along?" she asked her daughter.
"Almost done, Mom. EB-12 and I retagged all eighteen crates." Ania added, "Dad helped a little."
"Well, I'm glad he's making himself useful." She kept the smile but put gravity into her voice as she told Benet, "When we unload at Ralltiir, I'm going to take Runaround and swing by Denon."
"Can I come?" Ania bleated. Whenever they reached a planet the girl always wanted to get out and see as much as she could. Small wonder, given that she spent most of her time cooped up on a travelling cargo hauler.
"No, you've got to stay and make sure your dad doesn't screw anything up." She gave Benet a pat on the back.
"How long will you be gone?" he asked.
"I don't plan to spend more than a day on Denon. Just hold at Ralltiir until I get back. That shouldn't throw us off schedule."
"All right."
Marin didn't need the Force to know her husband wanted to talk about this more, but not in front of Ania. Marin looked back to her daughter and said, "Why don't you and EB-12 start running preflight checks on Runaround? You know how to do that, don't you?"
"Um, I think so." Ania glanced at the droid, who gave an affirmative toot. The droid promptly rolled off toward the shuttle and the girl followed.
Once their daughter was out of earshot, Benet asked, "Well? What did your father say?"
"He just wants me to do one thing for him on Denon. Like I said, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Meaning what exactly?"
"You're the one who's encouraged me to get involved."
"I know. I just want to know what's going on." He glanced at Ania as she followed her droid up into the shuttle. "I want to make sure you won't be in danger."
"I'm not." She cupped his face, stroked his cheek. "Trust me. I'm just doing a little legitimate money transfer with one of my dad's friends. Something the Jedi want done quietly."
"Just stay safe."
"I will." She leaned in and kissed his other cheek. It would be strange seeing the Calrissians and Volgma after so long, but once it was over, it would be over. So she hoped. She had no expectation of this brief callback drawing her deeper into her past and no desire to be drawn. The life she'd built on Fast Start with Benet and Ania was simple an unglamorous and free of the crushing weight of larger responsibility, which was all she wanted now.
"I'll be back soon," Marin said. "I guarantee it."
-{}-
On the outbound ride from Coruscant, Kol Skywalker had been hounded by too many unwelcome thoughts. All of them disappeared the second his shuttle registered an incoming transmission from an unknown source, utilizing a one-of-a-kind encryption key the comm system failed to recognize.
Kol, however, knew it instantly. The code had been used by him and one other during their time working together as covert agents. They were the only two beings in the galaxy who knew it, and even after all these years, Kol perfectly remembered the responding decryption key.
After entering it, the lonely cockpit lit up with the glowing image of a woman with her long black hair in a severe bun and the collar of an Imperial moff around her neck. Kol still wasn't used to seeing her like this; in his deepest private heart, he still called her Morrigan Corde.
"This is a surprise," Kol said simply. He didn't want to use her name, either of them.
"Hello, Kol." There was no joy in her voice, but a tiny part of him was heartened to hear his first name on her lips. "Are you on your way back to Ossus?"
"That's correct."
"I saw your speech in front of the senate. I suppose you did as well as you could have."
"Thank you. I assume there's a reason for this call."
She gave a tiny nod. "I'm giving you a warning, Kol. Ossus isn't safe."
No place in the galaxy was safe for Jedi now. He held back a rebuttal. "Can you be more specific?"
"Militias from the seventy-eight worlds are banding together for an attack on Ossus. They plan to drag the Empire into their little war."
"Then stop them. Can't Roan Fel-"
"Roan Fel's hands are tied by the Moff Council, as is already clear," she said. From this distance he gained nothing from her in the Force, but he felt a twinge of certainty. She wasn't lying, exactly, but she wasn't telling the whole truth either.
"Do you know when this attack is coming?"
"Within the next week. Perhaps as soon as four days."
Kol's mind raced. The Alliance Senate- what was left of it- had voted against recognizing the Anaxes Treaty, and the triumvirate had assured him the Jedi would be allowed more time to exonerate themselves. However, they'd yet to promise military assistance if the Jedi came under threat. Arlen Fel was still on Coruscant, trying to wrangle assurances out of them, but Kol had hurried offworld because there were still problems to attend to on Ossus.
"Did you hear me, Kol?" she pressed. "Within four days, you need to be ready to defend yourselves."
"How many ships?"
She paused, considering not the tally but whether to tell it. Finally she said, "Perhaps fifty ships. Mostly corvettes, frigates, and the like. The Rodians have also scrounged up an old star destroyer, Predator-class. But if the Imperial fleet decides to join, there's no telling."
"And Roan Fel can't stay their hand?"
"Don't depend on him," she said simply.
Kol felt frustration and anger toward his cousin. He'd thought Roan Fel strong enough to restrain the Empire's worst impulses. "There doesn't seem to be anyone I can rely on, is there?"
He wanted, hoped, prayed she'd say he could rely on her. But of course she didn't. "I'm doing what I can for you, Kol. If you can't muster defenses for Ossus in four days' time, you should be ready to evacuate."
"To where? Rhen Var, Bestine, or any of the other worlds we have academies on? They'll chase us there, too."
"I gave you a warning. That's all I can do." Her holo-projected eyes avoided his. Then she asked, "How is Cade?"
"On Ossus."
"I knew that. Kol-"
"I will do everything to protect our son, Morrigan, even if you won't."
His voice was angry, and she flinched. "Please, Kol. Don't call me that."
"A part of you is still her. We wouldn't be talking otherwise."
Her eyes narrowed, adamant and angry. "She's gone, Kol."
"No." He tapped his chest. "A part of her is here. Always. It's in Cade too."
For a moment they stared at each other from across the stars: adamant, angry, desperate. Then she looked away and said, "Goodbye, Kol."
The holo winked out, leaving him alone once more.
-{}-
Marin's cargo-hauling business had built a reasonably comfortable life for her family, but from the moment she stepped into the Volgma-Tendrando Limited building on Denon, she was reminded of the great yawning gap between independent entrepreneurs and captains of industry. After presenting her credentials and passing through two layers of security she was whisked via all-transparisteel lift to the highest level of the two-hundred-storey tower. When it stopped she had an impeccable view of the rival skyscrapers spreading to all horizons, but it was hard to appreciate Denon's ecumenopolis while struggling with nausea-inducing vertigo.
When the doors slid open she stepped into the meeting room. The circular chamber's walls were all transparent too, while a red and gold décor marked the floor and ceiling both. She took in the room's three inhabitants in an instant. Volgma the Hutt was long and massive even by his species standards. Chereth Calrissian was on her feet and dressed in a neat business suit and Chance was seated in a mobile hover-chair near the circular conference table. Volgma hadn't changed much since Marin last saw him, but she was struck by all the steel-gray curls on Chereth's head and the way Chance's hair and beard had gone fully white.
"Welcome to Denon, young lady," Chance waved her forward. "It's been a long time."
"I'm not so young anymore." Marin offered a hand.
Chance's trembled with age, but he squeezed it hard. "To me, you're the picture of youth. How's your father?"
"Trying his best to manage a whirlwind. He sends his regards."
"Well, send mine right back. Take a seat."
Chance angled his hoverchair to dock at the table while Volgma scooted his repulsorsled to its edge. Marin and Chereth took seats beside one another and Marin began outlining what her father wanted done. The two Calrissians nodded knowingly the whole way through. As Arlen had predicted, the careful shifting of fiscal assets was something they knew all about.
"We should be able to get all of this done within a day," Chereth said.
"And there's no way people will be able to trace these assets back to the Jedi?"
"Absolutely not. But you and I will have full access to them."
"Well, this money isn't for either of us, but that's good to know."
"If your goal is to build up Jedi assets, this is a start, but there's a better way," Volgma rumbled.
Marin eyed him. As Marin had learned a long time ago, back in her Jedi days, Volgma was mostly-legitimate, but he was still a Hutt. "Go on."
"Put some of these funds into secure accounts, to be sure," he waved a tiny arm, "but the rest of these assets should be put to use in stocks and securities."
"That sounds like a good way to lose money. The galactic stock exchange is in turmoil right now, just like everything else." Marin looked around the table for agreement, but she could see Chereth and Chance were busy in thought.
"Tendrandro-Volgma Limited has access to a wealth of information about the industries we're involved in, including our competitor's strengths and weaknesses," Volgma went on. "With our careful management I believe we could increase the Jedi Order's assets by, oh, at least fifty-percent this year."
"Stocks in defense industries are skyrocketing," Chereth said.
"There's always money to be made in war," Chance added dryly.
"Okay, hold on." Marin held up both hands. "Using confidential business information to increase our assets sounds like it's taking us from morally hazy territory to straight-up illegal."
"Laws governing finance were drawn up as a joint pact between the Alliance and the Empire," said Volgma. "They're now on the brink of war with each other. Even if those laws stay technically binding, do you believe anyone will bother enforcing them?"
"Besides, you said the Jedi Order is in terrible danger." Chereth's gaze was hard, and Marin fought the urge to look away. "They'll need this. We can do it quietly to avoid attracting attention."
"We'll have direct management of those accounts," Chance added. "You have our word that we'll do everything we can to help the Jedi."
Marin swallowed. She realized, once the surprise wore down, that this didn't bother her, not really. Finance law was a hard thing to care about when placed against the lives of her father, Nat, and all the other Jedi.
"I'll check with my father, just to make sure, but I think he'll agree," she said. "And… thank you for your help. You have no idea how much this means."
"None of us do, yet," Volgma said. "Pray we never have to find out."
-{}-
It had the feeling of a war council. Less than an hour after he returned to Ossus, Kol Skywalker assembled the group at a meeting room in the Temple's lower pyramid. Lowbacca and K'Kruhk sat together, two massive furry bulks, Tili Qua on their right and Master Shaper Nei Rin on their left, the only non-Jedi in the group. Kol was joined by his mother and brother, plus a shimmering life-sized holo displaying Arlen Fel, broadcast from Coruscant.
"It doesn't matter where I got the information from," Kol explained after warning them of the attack on Ossus. "It's reliable, and it's not going to tell us more, so we have to plan with what we have."
Grimly, Lowbacca said that the Jedi had to decide whether or not to abandon Ossus. It would take at least three days to evacuate the Temple of all people and equipment.
"There has to be another way," Nat shook his head. "This is Ossus. It's been the seat of the Jedi Order for almost a century."
"I wish we could get a guarantee of defense from the Alliance," Arlen said. "I've been trying to drag anything out of the triumvirs, but it's not going well."
"Perhaps you should speak with Fleet Command directly," said Nei Rin.
Arlen shook his head. "If I go behind their backs it will wreck my relationship with all three triumvirs, even Gahan. I sense he's on our side, for now. Bail Antilles is just trying to think of a way out of this mess. Nu Toreena… I'm not sure. I can tell she resents the Jedi."
"Her world was ruined by the Yuuzhan Vong," Kol pointed out.
"Yes, but once the Imperials threw in with the seventy-eight, something changed. She sees the Empire's action as an affront and says she wants to get those secessionist worlds back. And maybe more, just to show the Imperials their place." Arlen sighed. "So we may have a warmongering Ithorian in our corner. Which I never thought I'd see."
Lowbacca roared that, at this point, they'd need all the help they could get.
"Very true," grunted K'Kruhk. "Master Fel, please tell the triumvirate about this threat."
"They'll want to know where the intel came from." Arlen looked to Kol.
Kol shook his head. "I'm sorry, that's not possible."
"Then it probably won't carry much weight. I'll do what I can with them, but no promises."
"To surrender the Jedi Temple would be to admit defeat," Tili Qua chirped. "I do not want that."
"Indeed," K'Kruhk said. "I know what happens when the Jedi are driven underground, hunted and harried. We cannot allow it to happen again."
The ancient Whiphid's words dropped the room into somber silence. That K'Kruhk had experienced Palpatine's Jedi Purge himself gave his every word special weight, and none moreso than when he directly recalled his experiences. Those times still haunted him, a century and a half on, and Lowbacca suspected the revered Master had always turned down leadership of the Jedi Council because he feared accidentally leading the Order back to those dark times.
Lowbacca had experienced dark times of his own. With a series of low moans and roars, he explained how, during the first Yuuzhan Vong War, the Jedi had lost their academy on Yavin 4 and scattered across the stars. The Yuuzhan Vong had offered rewards for any Jedi handed to them, and the Jedi had become victims of those they'd sworn to protect. He explained the 'great river' Luke Skywalker had created to move Jedi through hostile territory. The Jedi had survived the war with only half their original number, but they'd still fared better than they had during Palpatine's purge.
The recollection did little to cheer anyone. Nat sighed and asked, "Do we really think we're heading for that? Another purge?"
"That depends on if we can really get the Alliance on our side," said Kol.
"We need a better defense than scattering and hiding, no offense," Nat told the two old masters. "At the very least we should have some kind of bolt-hole we can run to. A hidden temple."
"I've taken steps to protect our financial resources," Arlen said. "So if we need to build a hideout, at least we'll have assets."
"What about money to defend ourselves?" Kol's brows drew together.
"Are you talking about… mercenaries?" Nei Rin tilted her head.
Ordinarily the suggestion would have been unthinkable. Now it was met with thoughtful silence. Arlen said, "I might have an idea. But it's a long shot."
"We need to act fast," Kol said. "If we must evacuate the Temple- and I swear that is a last resort- it will still take us several days."
"We can begin preparations now," said Tili Qua. "Get the younglings ready to move."
"Agreed," grunted K'Kruhk.
"We need to start looking for a fallback location too." Kol looked to his brother. "Nat, did you have any ideas about that?"
"I do," the blond Jedi nodded. "But it'll take time to scout the location."
"Then get to it, as soon as you can."
"I'll go to the triumvirs with this immediately," said Arlen. "Even if I don't get any promises I should at least be able to get a reading. And I'll see what I can do about the hired help. I'll get back to you on both within twelve hours."
"Thank you for all this, Arlen," Jade said seriously. Lowbacca roared his own gratitude.
The human nodded grimly. "I never thought we'd be backed into a corner like this, but now that we are, we might have to use every weapon available to fight our way out. Even if they're not Jedi weapons."
Kol heaved a heavy sigh and lowered his head. For a long moment he seemed crushed by the awful aggregate weight of all his good intentions had reaped. When he looked up determination was like fire in his eyes. "We take what is given. We won't learn the truth behind all this if we're killed or driven into hiding. Today we survive. Tomorrow, we set things right."
-{}-
Marin made the call to her father while Runaround still sat on the landing pad on Denon. She was glad she made the call before leaving, because the situation had suddenly gotten a lot more complicated.
"Four to seven days? That's the window you're looking at?" She pressed her back into Runaround's pilot seat and looked at her father's holo-image. "You can't get more specific?"
"Apparently not."
"Fierfek, Dad… That's not a lot of time to evacuate the Jedi Temple."
"The Jedi were scattered before. We don't want to have to run and hide again."
"Does that mean the Alliance will pull through for you?"
"I'm still working on the Alliance. I have another meeting with the triumvirate in two hours. But right now the Alliance is unreliable."
"You can say that again." On the inbound flight to Denon she'd masochistically absorbed the latest news. Another fifty-nine worlds had declared their intention to join the seventy-eight and petition membership with the Empire. Nearly three hundred more had announced their refusal to send any of their people or equipment to help the Vong and their Jedi accomplices. If this kept going, there wouldn't be any Alliance left in seven days.
"Marin, we have to defend Ossus," Arlen said firmly. "We have money. We can buy it if we have to. And that's where we need your help again."
Marin sat upright in her chair. She stared. Her father gave a short, knowing nod. "We need help now. It should be only a day's ride out from Denon."
"You can't be serious."
He tried a smile. "How long has it been since you've seen your mother?"
"You're talking about Jedi hiring Mandalorians. To protect them from the Empire. Do you realize how insane than sounds?"
The smile vanished. "Have you looked at the state of the galaxy right now?"
"I have, I just…" She slumped in her chair. Alongside all the compounded absurdities was the knowledge that she wasn't going to be running back to Benet and Ania as promised. She was getting dragged back into her past, into the dual lives she'd left behind, exactly as she hoped wouldn't happen.
But when she weighed her humble life against everything else, the tipped-over scales didn't budge.
"Do you know something about the state of Mandalore that I don't?" asked Arlen.
"I'm not sure." She gathered thoughts. "The current Mand'alor is Chernan Ordo. He's well-liked. On good terms with pretty much all the clans, including the Skiratas. Gets the Mandos lots of business hiring out as mercs on Outer Rim skirmishes, but he avoids messy stuff like those Nagai invasions." Those raids, and the joint Alliance-Imperial response, had fallen out of the news cycle the second the Ossus Project went wrong. It seemed like they'd happened years ago.
"Do you think he'd be willing to work for the Jedi?"
"He'd drive a hard bargain. Mando pride costs a lot."
"But it can be bought. That's why they're mercenaries."
Marin shrugged. "I'm just warning you. All those credits are being transferred to the Calrissians' accounts as we speak."
"Go back and talk to them. Make sure you'll have a good chunk available. And tell them who you plan on hiring, so there's no surprises."
"Oh, I'm sure they'll be plenty surprised." Marin sure as hells was. "But yes. I'll do it."
"Thank you, Marin. Do what you can on your end, I'll do what I can on mine. Send me a message to let me know when you're leaving Denon."
"Will do."
"I love you," Arlen said. "Good luck."
The holo winked out. Marin settled back in her chair and wondered what to say to the Calrissians. Then she wondered what she would tell Benet and Ania. She didn't want to look her daughter in the eye and tell her she'd be gone extra-long; she didn't want to explain this all to Benet either, but those, too, had to be done.
Finally Marin recalled her father's last words to her. Nothing about the Force being with her, not this time, which was fair enough. The Force wasn't a very welcome commodity on Mandalore, but credits were, and so was luck. Those two things, she figured, were welcome anywhere.