New year, new resolution to write more. Just like last year's resolution. I'm doing better at it so far.

The former Captain Saakic, now a freshly made Commander, stood on a slightly raised platform, leaning against the rail as he surveyed the shallow ravine sloped down beneath him. A combat field of trenches and obstacles filled it, one of a dozen hastily constructed training grounds being used to mold their new army.

Two squads, of twenty soldiers each, were forming up at either end of it. The raw recruits were conspicuously trying to look serious and professional, as they fiddled with their blaster settings and tugged at their helmet straps. Each squad was led by a murelani who'd been part of the mission to Eicheila; which meant they had exactly one more day of actual experience then the troops they were supposed to instruct.

This would be the third mock battle the commander had seen that day, and he did not have great hopes for it being more promising than the first two.

Two aids at one end of the platform suddenly snapped to attention, as up the ramp strode an Imperial officer. Tall, and ruddy skinned, with close-shaven greying hair and a bushy mustache; he may have been older for a human, based on what what Saakic knew of the species, but his immaculate uniform was filled out by a layer of muscle, and he walked straight and brisk.

Something followed him; a "droid," machine. It's make was referred to as an R5, painted black and grey in Imperial colors. It was barely keeping up with the human; who seemed unconcerned if it could. Indeed, he had little reaction to anything around him, as he marched directly up to the commander.

The human stopped with a click of heels. "Sir," he threw a crisp salute. "Master Sergeant CT-2275, reporting for duty, sir!" He had a voice that was used to making himself heard, and remained ramrod straight as he stood with his hands folded behind him. "I am called Breaker, sir."

Saakic returned the salute, eyeing the human up and down. "You aare the fiirst of our iinstructors?"

"Yes sir," the human nodded. "I served in active combat duty for ten years, and have taught infantry tactics for ten years since. If you provide me with the fresh meat, I'll grind them into soldiers."

Saakic was mildly surprised by the human's enthusiasm. So far, many of the Imperials he had worked with seemed to treat any interaction with murelani as an inconvenience. This older human seemed unbothered.

"Your experiience wiill bie welcomed," the commander said. "The braavery of your Imperiial troops maade aa deep iimpression aat thie Baattle of Eicheila."

"Thank you sir," the human nodded. "When do we begin?"

The murelani gestured to the course below him. "Wie wiill staart wiith aan eivaluation. Two squads of reicruits are aabout to fiight, aand Ii would liike your opiinion?"

Below them, two squads were jockeying for positions along their ends of the arena. They wore simple coverall fatigues' one squad black, one side green; and both were fumbling unfamiliarly with their stun blasters as they tried to ready themselves.

"Are they all green," the human asked? When the murelani only gave him a perplexed look, he clarified. "All new recruits, sir?"

"Thie sergeants leading them fought on Eicheila."

"One battle doesn't make anyone an expert," the human scowled deeply. "Get a record of this Clanker." He lightly kicked the droid, not acknowledging it's warble in reply.

Saakic touched a remote on his datapad, and a mechanical bell sounded off the start of the exercise. Both squads fanned out, their sergeants barking at them to assume certain positions. They crept forward slowly, troops dodging from one spot of cover to another.

"Well, we have our first casualty," Breaker pointed to one of the green murelani, who was unknowingly advancing much faster than the rest of his squad. He was in the middle of the field, and didn't know the next spot of cover he was eyeing had a black already crouching behind it and scanning the area. The green jumped up from his spot to race forward . . . but somehow the black was so focused on his other side he didn't notice the hostile running out in the open. The green ducked down behind the cover, and ran right into the black. They were still for a minute, and then brought their blasters up in a race to shoot first, which the green won.

"Unbelievable," the human shook his head in disgust.

Now that the first shot had broken the silence, both sides erupted in a barrage of very poorly aimed fire. They rushed forward quicker now, and the sergeants seemed to lose most of their control over their troops.

"Do you see that gap in the obstacle there," Breaker pointed to an open area on one side of the field. "The greens are moving through it because that large mound has them completely covered from the front, but that brick column on the blacks side overlooks it."

"Thie blaack sergeant just haas to get aa few good shots up there, aand they wiill murder haalf thie squad," Saakic agreed.

"Real brainless move for the greens."

No one on the field seemed to have a second thought about finding higher ground though, and the opportunity was wasted as both sides focused solely on the enemy in front of them.

"My mistake," the human said incredulously. "That's two very brainless squads. I'm surprised they know which end of their blasters to point at the enemy."

Saakic took a large breath in and out, maintaining his calm.

The battle went on in a fairly uneventful fashion after that; the blacks emerged as the winners by little more than luck, with only four of their own number still standing.

As field aids entered to start rousing the stunned troops back to their feet, Saakic turned to the human. "Ii trust you caan see how very iinexperienced our aaveraage recruit iis," he spoke frankly. "Ii would not wiish to give you aany faalse iimpression aas to their qualiity. But Ii iintend to maake them iinto soldiers." He looked the taller being straight in the eye. "Ii need to know Ii wiill bie aable to deipend on your iinstructors to giive mie aall they caan!"

Breaker's jaw was set in a hard line. "Is that meant to imply something about Imperial troops making light of their duty?"

"Ii aam more concerned they maay not expect success from non-humaans."

After a pause, the human grimaced. "There has been quite a bit of that thinking in the Imperial army sir, been tolerated for far too long in my opinion. We didn't have room for that back in my day."

The murelani allowed himself to feel a little optimism. "Iif they aare wiilling, Ii would bie graateful to haave thie help of thie Empiire."

The human nodded. "You have this Imperial; and anyone else the Admiral sends. If they're not following our orders to the letter, I'll personally take them apart and feed them to the recruits."

"Thaat iis good to know," the new commander almost smiled. "Aas Ii said, wie begiin iimmediately; how soon do thie other iinstructors aarriive?"

"They will start coming down through the afternoon, a few at a time" the master sergeant said. "I wanted to get in among the recruits as soon as possible, do some more hands on evaluations."

Saakic nodded down to the field, where most of the combatants had now recovered. "You maay staart here iif you wiish."

Beneath his mustache, the human was grinning. "It would be a pleasure sir."

Throwing a quick salute, he spun on his heels and marched away, throwing a none too gentle kick at his droid when it did not follow fast enough. "Come on Clanker, move your bearings!" With a metallic warble of protest, the squat machine trundled along after him.

"And this one was created after your war with the Tirekk," Thrawn gestured toward the screen display of a famous murelani portrait of first contact with one of the other species of the region.

Sitting behind his collapsed desk, Kaarep perked his ears up just so, surprised. "Yes, but I can't imagine how you were able to deduce that?"

"You said it was the longest and most bitter interplanetary conflict your people fought," the Admiral elaborated. "The subtle details of the piece hint at fear and violence. The body language of the figure in the foreground is tense, subconsciously ready to spring into movement, even though no one is acting overtly violent. The ships hovering in the background are likewise passive, but the dark coloration, and the texture being made to look harder than the rest of the painting, suggest malevolence."

"Remarkable," the Jaan-taik had seen several displays of deduction like this from the chiss, but was still astounded by them. "I suppose it should not be surprising that the war left scars we take for granted, it lasted for three generations, and there are none left alive who remember what our way of life was like before."

"Did you fight in it," Thrawn turned away from the wall to take a seat across from him.

"No, I was still young when it finally ended. My military experience began and ended with commanding a cruiser in the Hapich System War some fifteen years ago."

"That was the only conflict your people have fought since?"

"The Tirekk War ended our age of expansion and exploration," Karrep shook his head. "Now, many think that by keeping to ourselves we can avoid future conflicts. I fear that will make it difficult to convince them this one will come regardless of what we do."

"And even if they do see the need for response, they may think that a limited, defensive war will be sufficient to defeat the Vahetey," Thrawn shook his head. "It will be critical that we take the fight to the enemy."

"You are looking quite far ahead," Kaarep said ruefully. "I was under the impression we are still focused on surviving their next attack."

"It is essential that all battles be planned according to a clear strategic vision," the admiral insisted. "And we must make plans for a counter strike as soon as possible; even if it is just a show of force."

The alien was skeptical. "You were insisting on an overall plan, but now it sounds like you want to attack whether we have an aim or not."

"Not quite," Thrawn insisted. "My point is not to bring the main Vahetey fleets to battle. By only sitting back on the defensive, we surrender the initiative to the enemy; who then have uncontested movement right up to our borders, and can build up the military infrastructure needed to support a larger invasion. With hit and run strikes into their territory, we can destabilize their position, force them to divert forces to guard themselves. They must not be able to take it for granted that their position anywhere is safe. And if we focus on causing material damage, rather than engaging enemy forces, we can buy valuable time and delay the decisive battle until we have built up a formidable military of our own."

"A bold plan," it was certainly a tempting idea, to hit back at the Vahetey, but age had made Kaarep cautious about pursuing a course just because it was personally satisfying. "Where would you strike first, if we can?"

"I have not been able to select targets yet," Thrawn shrugged. "We still have too little intelligence about their wider campaign. Obviously we must push them from systems ideally positioned for invading murelani space. If they are assaulting other worlds, as we believe, then we should move to relieve the pressure on them and keep as many combatants in the fight as possible. And of course, we must deduce what the enemy's overall strategy is; in spite of all their single mindedness, we have to assume there is a rhyme and reason to their movements."

"Your guess is as good as mine," Kaarep shrugged. "I think it likely they may assault the whole Corridor."

Thrawn raised an eyebrow. "The 'Corridor?"

"Oh, yes," Even with the admiral's great perceptiveness, he was still ignorant of many things which were common knowledge in this region. "To the "north-east" of murelani space is a series of relatively tame systems, where the hyperlanes are stable and safe, and the worlds are colonized by advanced beings. It provides one of the largest trade routes in the region, stretching all the way to the Black."

The edge of the galaxy, Thrawn contemplated the enormity of that. In the Empire the galaxy was considered to end at the edge of the unknown regions. Thrawn had lived most of his life far beyond that, yet even he had never been anywhere close to the emptiness where true space began. In the tangled Chaos of the unknown regions, such a thing was actually more mythical than it would seem in the Empire.

If a prolonged stretch of peace could ever be established, a purely academic expedition farther toward the edge might be in order.

Kaarep was continuing. "If the Vahetey have any intention of expanding further north, they couldn't help but hit it. That's where our most likely allies could be found. If nothing else, we must make sure we are not cut off from that trade, it is too vital to our economy."

"Since you know the boundary of galactic space, we should be able to extrapolate how many systems the Vahetey could have already expanded into, shouldn't we?"

"It is not so simple," Kaarep was getting used to the Admiral's seemingly sudden shifts in focus. "The borderline of the Black is erratic, and in many places uncharted, curving in and out dramatically. We do not even know if the space between the Vahetey and the Black is empty or already inhabited."

"If it was, I think we have good reason to believe it isn't any longer," the admiral's tone was almost rueful. "So our first priority is still gathering intelligence. Which of the other species in the area are most likely to join us," Thrawn asked?

The murelani grimaced. "Once again, our relative isolation may be our undoing. We have no conflicts with our neighbors, but few besides the fulkoom are real friends. They may not support us until they are threatened also."

Thrawn considered this. "Assuming the Vahetey move against Kalbalka next, what approach do you think they would use to attack?"

"In the directions away from murelani space, there are only two known reliable hyperspace routes to Kalbalka, the route from Eicheila, and one to the north from a system known as Mirash. It is a modest colony of the lowelle people. As soon as I returned to Kalbalka, I dispatched one of our few cruisers to Mirash to confirm it too had not been overrun."

"What defenses do they have?"

"At the moment, as few as Kalbalka had before your star destroyer and the fulkoom fleet arrived."

Thrawn raised an eyebrow. "At the moment?"

"The most powerful lowelle trading clans use huge bulk freighters to conduct their business across the emptiness of space," he explained. "Or at least they'd be considered huge out here. Mobile trading markets, many half the size of your star destroyer, they are often heavily armed and armored. But Mirash is a small colony on the edge of their space, and rarely sees one."

"We should assume the most unfavorable situation then," Thrawn said. "By the sound of it, the vahetey would be perfectly capable of overrunning that system and trying to take us by surprise; or just doing it to protect their own flank."

"Another worry to add to the list," Kaarep sighed. "I feel as if we are fighting a predator in the shadows. We have know idea of the enemy's plans or strength."

"If we keep our heads, the enemy will reveal his own hand in time," Thrawn assured him. "And we may have our own secret weapons to unleash."

Ezra sat crossedlegged on a chair in one of the Baaltaak's passenger lounges, trying his best to meditate on the Force.

Kana had taught him about the importance of regular meditation. You didn't even necessarily need to start with a specific point to it; meditation was a good exercise to strengthen your connection to the Force, and center yourself in a way that could ease the stress and fatigue of battle. It wasn't something that had come naturally to the young man, who lived a life of movement and action; but he'd learned to practice it as hard as he did the "fun" jedi activities.

It was also a good exercise for a terminally boring space flight.

It seemed to Ezra he had spent just five or six days out of the last month on a planet's surface, and a few of those had been in the detention cells of the Chimaera. He'd gone about that long before, working with Phoenix Squadron, but the private spaces onboard the Ghost had been home. Now he was just lothfrogging from one ship to another.

At least the ship wasn't filled with Imperials this time. Thrawn had brought a small guard of Stormtroopers, but they mostly kept to themselves. The admiral himself was almost as easy to avoid, he spent half his time locked up in his cabin, studying everything about the aliens he could get his hands on. Both he and Ezra had learned to understand Murelani almost perfectly, but the Imperial could already speak it like a native too. It was kind of annoying.

A small presence pricked the edge of his awareness. If he'd wanted real peace and quiet he could have done this in his own cabin; but while the occasional distraction of someone to talk to didn't help meditation, it did help his mood..

The door whisked open, and a young Murelani stopped hesitantly as he stepped into the room. "Oh, I'm sorry to disturb you."

"Don't be," Ezra said cheerfully. "I was starting to hope for someone to talk too. Your name's Talmak, isn't it?"

He'd met Kaarep's nephew the first time he'd boarded the Baaltaak, but only talked to him a few times after that. The young Murelani actually spoke basic better than any of the other aliens had at first, since he'd started learning it at a young age. Apparently his uncle had taken him on the trip to Karissa as an educational experience, but had been keeping him away from the danger since the first vahetey attack..

"Yes," the alien's ears twitched apprehensively, and he stood in the doorway as if not sure he should really come into the room. When he did step in he took a seat across from Ezra. "Are you about to work magic?"

Ezra smiled, trying not to laugh at the alien. "I don't do magic. Well, I can do a few hand tricks, but that's from thieving. As a jedi knight I wield the Force."

The murelani looked a little in awe. "The spacers tell legends about the Ailish, the magic created by the stars. I didn't think it was true."

"People have a lot of different names for it," Ezra admitted. "But I was taught it comes from the living beings in the galaxy, not the stars or planets."

"Is it true that you can bring down buildings with a touch?"

"Um . . no."

"Can you really make plants grow in a desert?"

"No."

Talmak smiled sheepishly. "I suppose even if there's some truth to the stories, most will still be exaggerated. It's not as if you could actually walk through time or anything!"

Ezra almost said something.

"My uncle told me you had fought against the Imperials," the murelani went on. "Did you lead armies before?"

"I don't think we were quite big enough to be called an army yet," the jedi shrugged. "And they only ever let me lead strike missions. My biggest operation was driving the Imperials off Lothal; and I less than two dozen people."

Talmak was amazed by the jedi's blunt statement. "Did you defeat a star destroyer with so few?"

"It was five or six star destroyers actually. Maybe seven, I didn't pay that close attention."

The young alien's mouth was hanging open. "You have to tell me how!"

But Ezra frowned, as he sensed a familiar presence approaching. "I'm afraid that's going to have to wait."

The door slid open, and Grand Admiral Thrawn slipped into the room, his red eyes settling on the two. "Commander Bridger." He greeted politely. "Making friends I see."

The jedi nodded to the young alien. "This is Talmak, Kaarep's nephew."

"Indeed," the chiss gave the young murelani a thoroughly analyzing look; but then that was how he looked at everyone. "I would be pleased to make your acquaintance. But at the moment, I must talk with Bridger."

Talmak hesitated; he could tell Ezra didn't want to have this conversation, but the jedi nodded to him anyway. "We can catch up later."

The admiral watched the young murelani leave, then walked over to sit on a cushioned seat across from Ezra. "I thought we might take a moment to confer, before we arrive at Paalpaan."

"Confer?" Ezra didn't move from his cross legged spot; sometimes the more mystic aspects of jedi behavior unnerved people. He had no idea about whether or not it worked on Thrawn, but maybe the casualness would annoy him.

"About how we should approach this audience with the murelani government," he held up a hand to stop Ezra's reply, which was going to be another one word question. "Yes, we are in fact on the same side in this. It would be better if we started working in coordination as soon as possible."

"Lets rewind to the part about us being friends now, cause I think I missed that conversation. Was it during one of the times you tried to kill me?"

"I had hoped we had skipped this childishness," Thrawn sighed. "Have you never made allies of those you had fought against before? Your most recent agent Fulcrum being a prime example."

"I've worked with ex-Imperials, sure. The rebellion was full of them," Ezra glared at him. "EX. But nothing's changed with you Thrawn, except that now you're the one in the tight spot!"

"Circumstances like that often make all the difference," the chiss wasn't rising to the bait. "And if we do not acknowledge our mutual need, it will only result in more beings dying needlessly. That is of no benefit to either of us."

"And that's what it's all about, isn't it," Ezra sneered. "Benefit. How much peoples' homes and lives are worth to you! Well I don't think that way," the jedi countered. "If I can help people I will, no matter what it takes."

Those red eyes narrowed. "We both know that's not true." When Ezra tried to object he continued. "One thing may stop you from being the savior you aspire to be; your much valued jedi code. What proves necessary in the war to come might not fit into your morale ideals"

"You don't have to become evil to defeat evil," the young jedi stood his ground. "I thought I'd already proven I can win without fighting at your level."

"I do not doubt your ingenuity," Thrawn agreed. "But for every warrior, the day comes when he must make a sacrifice not of himself, but of others."

"If that day ever comes, I'm sure you'll be there to tell me all the brilliant and logical reasons it's necessary," Ezra stood up, he was reaching his limit with the Imperial. "And then I'll find my own way to win!"

He stalked out of the room. Thrawn considered following him, but chose more wisely.

The planet Paalpaan jumped up before them as they dropped out of hyperspace. This was not the homeworld of the murelani, or their capital, but yet another colony world; the Jaan-maia had brought her court to meet them part way. To Ezra, it looked like nothing more than a giant snowball. The winters on Lothal were mild and dry, and the only snowy planet he had been to was Krownest; so any kind of iceball world was still a novelty to him.

Well used to such environments, Thrawn was more preoccupied with the ships hanging in orbit around the planet. Two sentinels ships represented the permanent security of the system; with eight cruisers, some of whom were doubtlessly additional security for the queen.

"Patched through to the court network," the BaalTaak's captain, Maazre, announced as they closed in on the planet. "Transmitting royal code now."

"Signal the Tap-Maken to fall in behind us and follow our course," Kaarep instructed her. The other cruiser had followed them from Kalbalka with four TIE-defenders in it's hull; after Thrawn had insisted they should bring some extra security, which could easily double as an impressive display of military power.

"The court is responding," Maazre's ears twitch, though the rest of her body was still and attentive. "We have been given clearance to proceed."

The growing landscape in front of them shifted as their ship banked to the right, aiming for the north east corner of the planet. The quiet of space was replaced with the muted sounds of atmospheric entry. Ezra made out a patch of light he assumed was a settlement, but they were mostly scattered around the planets equator. The land they flew over was devoid of civilization, and he nervously eyed storm clouds rolling by to one side of them. "The cold won't make it harder to fly, will it?"

"Actually, flying is easier in cold conditions," Thrawn spoke up, without turning his gaze away from the landscape he was studying like a painting. "Cold air has greater density, so less lift is required to keep a craft above it."

"Well I didn't need the academy course on it," Ezra grumbled, as a spot of light appeared in the distance. The single light spread and split as they got closer, and they were soon able to make out the individual buildings, huddled on the sloping sides of a large rocky hill that dominated the landscape. At first, Ezra thought it was in the middle of a wide lake; but then he realized the flat surface was ice. Someone had plowed through the glacier all around, creating a surface as flat and smooth as a naboo-dinner plate. He caught glimpses of beings out on the smooth ice as they sped by overhead; and odd craft moving over it, including something that looked like it was being propelled along by sailss.

"Is this an official royal residence," Thrawn asked as he also observed their surroundings.

"Only for the moment," Kaarep answered. "It is actually a luxury hotel for the adventurous, but it's one of the few places on the planet that can manage hosting the court."

As they came in toward the hillside, they noticed a half a dozen small cruisers parked on the ice, most of them too big for the hotel's landing pads. One was almost twice the length of the Balltaak, and reminded Ezra of the luxury cruisers that transported people around the rich planets in the Core.

With just the slightest bit of hesitation, the captain brought them in to land on the ice next to the other ships. By the time Kaarep, Ezra, and Thrawn stepped down onto the polished ice, someone was there to meet them. Next to the door of a large hovercab stood an older Murelani, who looked to be in the same generation as Kaarep. Four guards flanked him, two on either side. They wore uniforms of such a dark red it was almost black, and polished armor plates checkered in large blue and white squares. Each carried a heavier, more ornate looking force pike than the ones Kaarep's guards had.

The lead alien nodded deeply, in something like a small bow; arms held at the side with palms facing forward. "Greetings Kaarep Malcar, Jaan-taik of Kalbalka" he spoke in his own language. "As First Steward to the Dumman, I bring you the welcome of her serenity."

"I thank you," Kaarep nodded back. "And accept the hospitality of her serenity." Neither Kaarep's guard or Thrawn's stormtroopers would be allowed into the temporary court with them. It was an ancient tradition, symbolizing that their host was now responsible for their protection. And the Imperials were not yet welcome anyway.

They piled into the back end of the speeder, it's warm confines a welcome relief from the biting wind. "I take it these are the great warriors you spoke of," The Murelani's ears twitched just slightly as he surveyed the two.

"Yes, I will be presenting to her Serenity Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Empire," Kaarep indicated to the chiss. "And Ezra Bridger, Knight of the Order of Jedi." Ezra almost spoke up that he wasn't, in fact, a full fledged jedi. But, it probably wouldn't hurt anyone to not know that.

"And may I present Steward Daarcori, principal aid of her Serenity," He gestured to the other murelani.

The Steward treated Thrawn with a long look. "There has been much speculation as to whether or not Imperiaal forces would ever return to our region of space," it didn't sound like something the alien had looked forward to. "I must admit that your arrival has taken us aback; not just for it's suddenness, but also the surprising amount of . . . goodwill you seem to have come with."

The admiral smiled back. "What help the Empire has given is little compensation for the aid we have received from your most generous people. I would be lying if I said self interest does not motivate our offers of help, but know that I and my crew are grateful." He had to be careful not to appear too magnanimous, what with Bridger being there at his side. Best not provoke the jedi into saying anything inopportune.

Thrawn's immediate focus was actually on the interaction between Kaarep and Daarcori His own experience with governments, particularly the expansive Imperial Court, taught him to determine which officials held ceremonial roles, and which held real power and insite told him the Steward was one of the latter.

The speeder had circled around the complex of buildings, and was now easing into a vehicle tunnel in the hill. As a pair of doors closed behind them the cold and howling wind was cut off.

They disembarked in a garage featuring a eclectic array of vehicles, ranging from sleek hovercraft to rung using sleds. Through the turbo lift they reached an upper level of soft carpeting and fine wood panels, and passed a number of murelani as they made their way to their official audience.

The room was a common dining area, but the hotel was luxurious enough that it could pass for a royal audience chamber. Wooden archways loomed overhead, and the walls were covered in murals of mountain ranges and steaming hot springs. A few tables dotted a space that could have held many, and a small cluster of murelani was gathered around a short balcony at the other end. Beyond that was a lower second level of couches and chairs, most pointed to an entire wall of windows, overlooking the frozen countryside beyond.

eyes followed them the whole way across the room staff and aids who were used to keeping quiet, but couldn't disguise their interest. As they descended to the lounge level they were brought to a ring of couches surrounding an unlit fire-ring. they stopped in front of one, across for the murelani Jaan-maia

The murelani was old. Her fur looked like it had once been jet black, but was now covered in spreading patches of grey. It was thin, as was the skin underneath, which sagged from her thin, gaunt frame. The clothes she wore were luxurious; soft looking dark blue fabric, with intricate patterns of white sewn in. They seemed too new and clean for the being who wore them. Her left eye was dead; clouded over with whiteness, it stared at them blindly.

The dark right eye, however, was alive with intelligence. And suspicion.

The Steward went to stand behind the Jaan-maia's couch, to her right side. Kaarep approached her, and got down on both knees, bowing deeply in the murelani way, with arms out slightly and palms facing toward her. Behind him, Ezra and Thrawn remained standing, but bowed as well.

The Jaan-maia's expression became neutral, with a nod and a wave she prompted Kaarep to rise, and the three of them to sit on the couch opposite her.

"There were those who warned me, Kaarep Malcar, that appointing you to a governance on the frontier was a mistake," she began without preamble. "I was warned that you would find trouble without need."

"If I may say so, your serenity, I thought my vigalent nature was something you saw as a qualification for the post," The Jaan-taik countered.

"There is some truth to that," she admitted. "You, I hoped, could be trusted not to grow complacent. I'd also hoped you sound enough not to grow paranoid-"

Her serenity gave way to a fit of coughs, raising an embroidered black cloth to her mouth. Her three guests sat in respectful silence, till it was past.

"But it was not just the vahetey you found on the frontiers," she went on when she was able. "And I trust the grand admiral knows he is not the first Imperial I have welcomed into my court."

"Indeed, your serenity," the Chiss half bowed to her. "On behalf of the officers and crew of the star destroyer Chimaera, may I say it is a great honor to be welcomed at your court. Let me assure you I come before you as a supplicant, and a friend."

"We have already heard many declarations of friendship from the Empire. You do make a better case than the last fleet that passed through our space; but we have come to believe the Empire's interests are not really ours."

"That may be true, but the interests and policies of the Empire are, at the moment, irrelevant to us," Thrawn stated. "Our coming here was an accident, your serenity. We are under no orders from the Emperor, nor do we have any ambitions aside from survival. But Imperial officers do not forget those who have aided it, or take back deals they have committed to."

"You mean for us to believe you are acting on your own authority?" the Steward demanded.

"In fact, I am. We have made every effort to establish contact with Imperial space, to no avail. As a consequence of that, I am making this offer of alliance on my own initiative, with the backing of my officers and crew. We all believe it to be the most beneficial for all parties."

"How magnanimous of you," The alien did not sound convinced.

"I will not pretend we do not expect to gain by helping you."

The steward twitched again, and the Jaan-maia's gaze became a bit stonier. "While the Jaan-taik of a world may make deals of immediate need, the murelani people have not, as of yet, asked for your help."

If the admiral was embarrassed, he hid it well. "If I have misspoken I apologize; as a stranger to your worlds, I may give offense without meaning to."

The Jaan-taik was overtaken by another fit of coughs. "You could hardly be blamed for that," she assured when she was finished. "It is rather Kaarep who knows how much he is asking of us, to trust warriors of the Empire."

"Hey," Ezra spoke up. He knew it was probably out of turn; and the Steward moved a fraction, as if to stop him, but the Jaan-maia shook her head just enough to notice. "Can I get something straight your, um, your serenity. I don't fight for the Empire. No jedi do."

She didn't seem to take this as an insult. "It seems now I am the one who is giving offense, sir Bridger."

Ezra shrugged. "Okay, but no problem; I'll overlook yours if you'll overlook mine."

Thrawn felt a rare impulse to roll his eyes, and managed to restrain himself.

The Jaan-taik's one good eye softened just a fraction. "This one is quite the novelty, but I don't know what you thought he could add to the discussion?"

"Honestly, I had hoped the power of an Ailish warrior would help wailay any doubts about our chances of success," Kaarep explained.

"And if I do not agree, he will bewitch my mind I suppose?" the Jaan-maia smiled just slightly. "I understand, jedi, that you were at war with the Empire before you arrived here."

Ezra was aware that he could absolutely kriff everything up if he didn't have the right answer to her questions. But a lie would probably ruin everything too. "The Empire subjugated my homeworld," He replied. "They say their creating order and peace in the galaxy, and I think a lot of them actually believe that, but they're only creating tyranny."

Thrawn did not interrupt. Bridger was hotheaded and impulsive, but he was no fool. He would recognize the lesser evil was the greater good. Hopefully.

The Jaan-maia had fixed her one good eye on the human. "And what, jedi Bridger, would you advise me to do about the Grand Admiral's offer?"

The jedi sighed. It really pained him to say this. "If it were my homeworld of Lothal, that the vahetey were attacking, I'd fight with the Empire in order to stop them."

The Jaan-maia was silent for a long moment, her gaze holding each one of them, until she finally nodded. "Jaan-taik, honored guests, you have given me much to consider. For now, rooms have been prepared for your stay here."

They all accepted the dismissal. Thrawn did not look back at the murelani ruler, but his sharp hearing detected more wet coughs as they left the room. He was certain he had seen a faint stain of blood on her kerchief before, and imagined there was more now.

They were given a suit of rooms in one of the upper levels, a set of comfortable beds connected to a common room overlooking the lake of ice outside.

"So, that went well," Ezra sank into one of the chairs around an unlit fireplace. "I think?"

"Better than I had feared," Kaarep admitted.

"I hope it did not tax her serenity's health too much to travel here, in her condition," Thrawn put a probe out carefully.

Kaarep may not have school his features enough to hide the deep frown that comment provoked. "It is a common ailment at her age, I'm sure it will not hamper her."

"That man Daarcori," Thrawn changed the subject. "Exactly what is his role in government?"

Kaarep sighed, as he took another seat. "The office of Steward was made long ago, and was the mouthpiece and strong hand of the Jaan-maia. In the centuries since, some of the monarch's power has been given away to the Dumaan, our body of elected leaders. The Steward is now appointed by the Dumaan, though still a technical servant of the Jaan-maia, and so has a foot in both camps."

"He did not seem particularly won over by our arguing," Thrawn's eyes slid over the room, absently taking in the architecture and decor as he spoke. "Do you think he will be a problem?"

"He could be. The Steward presides of the Dumaan on important matters, and influences the vote. It is in the authority of the Jaan-maia to call for war, and respond to immediate threats, but she will need them to approve a prolonged conflict." Kaarep frowned. "Daarcori has always been loyal to her Serenity; but he will not agree to something he thinks is the wrong course of action. We will have to convince him."

Sergeant Porter, now Lieutenant, tugged at the sleeve of her new spotless black uniform, as the shuttle that had dropped her off rose back into the sky. The heavy material of the uniform was hot in the humid air; but she felt almost naked without either the familiar weight of stormtrooper armor, or the tightness of the body-glove underneath. She drew many curious glances from the murelani scurrying around the hastily built compound, and she had to resist the urge to reach up and straighten her new officer's cap for the sixth time.

She kept her eyes forward, as she marched through the camp. The area was a chaotic mess of tents and buildings, barely organized by military standards. Most of the murelani still had no uniforms, and the construction contractors seemed to be the only ones with any idea what was to be done.

A quick question to a veteran she vaguely recognized from Eicheila steered her toward the training area, and from there she picked up the human voice bellowing in rage.

Sergeant Master Breaker was standing in the center of a crowd of murelani, gesturing broadly at a holodisplay of the practice area. The image came from an R5 droid at his side, it's conical dome modified to project larger displays than most astromechs. The image winked out as she approached, but he continued to lecture them with that unmistakable drill sergeants roar. He'd shed his uniform jacket and hat and still clutched a stun-blaster in one hand. The old man was sweat stained and dirty, panting slightly. All the poor aliens around him were dirtier, and panting harder.

"And we'll be back here every day," he thundered, as a murelani at his side seemed scared just translating his words. "Until you sewer rats learned to watch your blasted flanks!" He noticed Faro standing on the observation platform above, and nodded toward her unspoken question. "Alright tenderfoots, that concludes our training for the day, get your furry asses off my field! Sergeants, take your squads and report for camp detail duties. DI-smissed!"

The exhausted aliens all limped off the field with visible relief, and Breaker made his way up to the platform. The droid extended arms to snatch up the hat and jacket he'd tossed over an obstacle, then followed as fast as it's wheeled limbs could manage. It caught up to the sergeant as he reached the top of the hill, and without a glance at the droid he snatchd up the jacket and hat, and ascended the platform.

"Lieutenant Porter," the sergeant saluted. "I took the liberty to begin evaluating our trainees. You may expect my report shortly."

It was so strange, to realize she was now higher ranking than this much more senior veteran. "Thank you, sergeant, I'll review your reports after I settle in."

"The captain Tillman is establishing a barracks here, with instructors rotating between here and the ship," Breaker informed her. "Your office will be set up there; I think they're throwing up the first walls now."

"Good, very good," the new Lieutenant was quiet for a moment, nearly fidgeting as she tried to think of what a CO would say first. "What was your impression of the murelani recruits?"

"They're green, ma'am, very green, of course," the man shook his head. "But they have the will; I think they can be forged into a lethal army, if we just beat the steel hard enough!"

"That's good to hear," she hesitated again, then mentally berated herself. "I plan to assign sergeants and lower to work with specific units, but I want you to work directly with me to oversee them all. You'll be our primary instructor, and my number two."

"Yes sir," Breaker somehow stood even straighter. "Thank you sir, I'm honored by the consideration."

"Nonsense, you're by far the most experienced NCO on the ship," her tone had lost that officer's firmness, and carried just a hint of admiration. "And if I may be frank, sir, it's an honor to work with you."

The master sergeant managed not to roll his eyes; but the look of annoyance was plain on his face. A face that every schoolchild in the Empire would recognize, despite the age lines, scars, and regulation mustache. The same face that had been copied more than three million times. "That is kind of you to say sir," the clone trooper said with a little less enthusiasm. "It has been a privilege to serve on the Chimaera."

"How was it that you were assigned to it," she couldn't help herself. "I heard a rumor the admiral requested you personally?"

"He asked for any clone trooper still in active service," Breaker corrected. "After it was confirmed that the rebels were being aided by traitorous clones, he wanted one to consult. I was more than happy to come; after almost a decade relegated to cadet training they had dumped me down to riding desks. Not the kind of end any clone would want!"

"Well, I imagine you'll get more action than you know what to do with now," Porter shook her head. "There will be a general meeting in two hours, for all Imperial personnel who have arrived on sight. I'll let you know when I've found a building that's actually complete enough to have it in." She gave him her best salute. "Carry on, master sergeant."

He returned one just as crisp. "Thank you sir." Spinning on his heel, he marched off the platform and back down to the training course, where another pair of squads were filing in. Porter took a moment to wince in sympathy for them.

Kaarep sipped his steaming tea, half glaring at Daarcori sitting across from him. They sat in the Stewards makeshift office, with nearly an entire wall dominated by a large window. On the other side of the glass the howling winds raised loose snow off the drifts and blew it in wild patterns. The room was quiet as a tomb however.

Kaarep rested the ceramic cup on the arm of his chair, and decided to be blunt. "You are not a fool Daarcori," he began. "You saw the information we gathered, the unprovoked aggression of the Vahetey against our neighbors; you knew everything I did before I even arrived here. Do you honestly believe war can be avoided?"

The Steward put down his own cup. "No."

The Jaan-taik couldn't stop his ears perking up in surprise. "No?"

"No." The steward sighed. "Unless the Vahetey's thirst for blood is suddenly satisfied, it seems war is inevitable. It is the circumstance I would like to escape."

"The circumstance?"

"The Empire is back," Daarcori leaned forward in his chair. "You know as well as I do that the Jaan-maia is not merely sick, she is dying. And she was never blessed with children, so the knives will be out to claim the succession. Add the threat of the Vahetey to that, and we are in a very vulnerable position. And now the Empire is back; and you've let them through the door!"

Kaarep sighed. "I suppose you think I've jumped into a caalhound den."

"I would say it's more that one has cornered you," the Steward replied ruefully. "And now you think you can charm it."

"I have not approached this with my eyes shut and ears flat," the Jaan-taik assured him. "Having seen admiral Thrawn in action, I believe him to be far more dangerous with one battered star destroyer than Director Boaz was with three. But he is still the far lesser threat! We are not in a position to be discriminating about our allies."

"We can not deal with these people from a position of dependence."

"They are the dependent ones," Kaarep insisted. "And grow more so with every passing day.

"This admiral Thrawn smiles nice enough, but he does not seem to me to be a man who takes orders from others." Daarcori shook his head. "And even if we can trust the Imperials, it is likely that some of our people won't want to. Many still remember how the last Imperials overstayed their welcome; and the three ships with great guns orbiting Murelea. That is not easily forgiven."

"But perhaps faster than you would think, once those great laser cannons start tearing apart Vahetey ships," Kaarep countered. "I've often found that gratitude goes along with self-interest."

The Stewards lips ruefully turned up just a fraction. "And if we put blasters in the hands of people who will turn on us?"

"Even if the Imperials are graspingly ambitious, they are no fools. It would gain them nothing to try and subjugate our worlds at the same time the Vahetey are overrunning them. They would have to beat the bloodrinkers back first; and by the time that has been accomplished we will have built up a new and powerful military of our own," the Jaan-taik insisted.

"But we will depend on their insight to build it," daarcori countered.

"At first, yes; but we are not a weak or uninventive people. We will outgrow them in the end."

The Steward sighed, and took another long swig from his tea. "I suppose we have no other strong allies, at the moment."

"The only other one so willing to commit himself to us is Ezra," Kaarep countered. "Whom, might I add, would not hesitate to side with us; if the Imperials turn traitor. And Thrawn certainly knows it!"

"And you trust this wizard?' Daarcori asked in exasperation.

"Yes," Kaarep nodded firmly. "You know all that he's done for us, in the short time I've known him. He has given me no reason not to trust him!"

"Just the qualities a spy might use to try and ingratiate himself to us," Daarcori countered. "He could be another Imperial rouse."

"You think I never considered that?" the Jaan-taik admitted. "But my instincts tell me he isn't. Bridger has never seemed to be anything but completely forthright; and he has placed himself personally in as much danger as anyone."

The Steward rubbed a palm between his eyes. "You managed to find an actual warrior for the Ailish. Well, why not; I suppose that's help we could use." He looked back up. "It will take three weeks to travel back to Murelea, but her serenity intends to start moving what ships and troops we have to Kalbalka before then."

Kaarep nodded. "You are willing to support a motion for war?"

The other murelani looked like he'd just bitten into rotten fruit. "Willing, has nothing to do with it."

With the wind howling in his face, Ezra nearly lost his footing on the icy hillside. For a moment he balanced precariously on a short drop that would certainly be painful, before he righted himself again.

Physical exercise was a must for a jedi. After years of running for his life on the streets of Lothal, Ezra had been putting those same skills to use on every planet the Ghost had visited. Through hills, jungles, and rooftops, he'd run, jumped and climbed. Under Kanan's guidance his already excellent athleticism grew to match that of a padawan who had spent their entire life training in the temple. And out here, in the middle of the absolute chaos he'd found himself in, it was comforting to fall back into old habits.

So, here he was scaling up and down the icy hillside, in nothing more than a light hooded jacket. It was one of those bright, clear winter's days. Looking out the window at the shining sun, you'd assume it was warm. It wasn't. The sun gave off no warmth, and even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky, the wind howled like a lothwolf. The cold nipped at Ezra's face, and the rock bit into his hands, but it was still an exhilarating exercise.

Scrambling to the top of a rocky peak, the jedi made sure his feet were planted firmly, and with a great leap somersaulted through the air to land on the roof of the apartment across from him. With the old thief's nimbleness he slid down the tiles, caught himself on the gutter, swung down to land in the windowsill, popped the window open and slid inside.

The warmth of his room was heavenly after the outdoors, and he took a moment to breathe deeply and swing his arms in a stretch. If only every problem could be solved by jumping around it.

He found Thrawn in the common room, doing exercise of his own. Seated in front of the lit fireplace; he was playing some murelani game, moving wooden figures on a board of black and brown squares, some with circles at their center. "Bridger. Enjoying the scenary?" the admiral greeted, not looking up from his board.

"Is Kaareo here," Ezra didn't bother saying good morning to the Imperial.

"No, he made an appointment to see the Steward," Thrawn leaned forward to make a move.

Grabbing a snack from the room's cooler, Ezra dropped into another seat. "And you didn't go with them? You probably missed a great chance to grovel."

"It would not do to make myself too ingratiating," the chiss replied. "And I am certain there are discussions they wish to have without either of us there to hear."

"Like what?" Ezra said through a mouthful.

"I believe the Jaan-maia's ailment may be more severe than we are being led to believe," Thrawn elaborated casually. "She is likely dying."

The jedi sat up at this, almost choking. "What? Why wouldn't they tell us that?"

"The Steward, as the caretaker of state, is probably concerned most of all with the stability of the government," Thrawn explained as if to a poor student. "Which we are a possible threat to. Without intending to be, of course."

"That's crazy! What, does he think you're just going to fly to the capital and declare yourself king . . . what am I saying, of course the Empire would do that!"

"You wound me Bridger," Thrawn countered. "It would be suicidal to start a war on two fronts against the murelani and vahetey. I am not so arrogant as to think I could build an empire of my own with one battered star destroyer."

"Yah, I suppose you'll want to get a few murelani ships on your side before you try!"

"That would be ideal," the admiral replied dryly.

The door swung open. It swung on hinges, part of the rustic appeal the hotel offered it's guests.

Talmak entered, casting a worried glance over the two aliens. "Is my uncle here?"

"He's in a meeting," Ezra shrugged. "I think he's taking the lead on the talks, now that we've said our piece."

"I've been talking to some of the others here at court," the young murelani reported. "Everyone is saying there is going to be war; do you think it's really going to happen?"

"The war is inevitable; whether or not your people prepare for it is the question," Thrawn corrected.

"I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure he's right," Ezra shook his head. "There's now doubt in my mind the vahetey are going to come, but a lot of people like to ignore dangers as long as the can; and when they finally stop ignoring it, it's usually too late!"

"So Kalbalka may not get help," Talmak concluded. "We may fight the vahetey invasion alone."

"Hey, if nothing else, you'll have me," the jedi worked up a smile for him. "And since he's got nowhere else to run, you might even have Thrawn and the Imperials. They've got to be good for something."

"As I have said, the Empire does not renege on it's commitments once made," the Admiral insisted. "I will leave your world peaceful and secure, or I will die above it."

The murelani sighed. "Some of the old legends say the Ailish will speak to people who have power, and guide them along the right path. Does it ever tell you the way?"

For a moment Ezra thought back to those last days on Lothal, when he'd finally realized what he had to do. "Some times. Most often, for me, it's in the heat of the moment not long term. But I try to have hope tha-"

He was interrupted when the door swung open again, and Kaarep stepped through. "Ah, I had hoped you would both be here. Come with me immediately, we have another meeting with the Jaan-maia."

After the terms were agreed on, it was some hours later when they returned to the dining hall a second time.

This time the Jaan-Maia was waiting for them in a chair on the balcony, overlooking the lounge. Her Steward stood at one shoulder with four guards flanking them. Thrawn absently took note that the uncushioned chair didn't match the rest of the decor in the room, and was likely brought in from the monarch's ship. It didn't look quite ornate enough to be a proper throne by the standards of most worlds, but maybe that was the egalitarian principle of murelani society being reflected.

While the main dining floor was empty, the lounge below them was packed. Kaarep had warned them it would be, to witness the official announcement, but Ezra wondered if every murelani for a ten klick radius had shown up.

The chatter below grew even louder, when the three of them came into view. Aliens like Ezra and Thrawn were rarely seen on Paalpaan. The chiss was a striking sight; the only Imperial seen in this region that was not "humaan," and also toweringly tall compared to the murelani he stood next to. And unbelievable rumors were already spreading that the orange clad human was some kind of wizard.

Kaarep bowed deeply, in the murelani way, while Thrawn and Ezra did their own. The Jaan-maia of the murelani nodded to them; and when they straightened, she rose to her feet. The noise suddenly died, as all eyes turned to her.

"Gathered friends, and brethren," Her voice was surprisingly powerful, in spite of her age and poor health. "For the first time in a generation, the worlds and stars of the murelani people, have fallen under a shadow. As we have lived in peace and contentment in our own space, offering friendship to those who would take it, and giving provocation to none, a menace has arisen on our borders, which now threatens to plunge the entire region of space into war."

"The vahetey, a young species, new to the space between stars, have spread from their homeworlds; for no purpose we can see, but to rest other systems from their long held occupants, by the use of brutal force. We do not know what reasons compel beings, clearly capable of civilization and advancement, to launch a campaign of violent bloodshed, in response to no clear provocation. But we cannot expect, after our own peaceful neighbors are overrun, to be assured that neutrality will prevent our own worlds from being threatened. It is for the unavoidable and unprecedented danger, that I call for the murelani people to prepare for war!"

She paused there, anticipating the string of applause that broke out in the crowd below her. A good oratory, Thrawn thought. The Jaan-maia seemed well suited to be a leader in war; it was a pity he would soon be removed from the equation.

Ezra was surprised by how sincere she sounded, about a war he could sense she didn't want. Were all monarchs such natural boor sabacc players?

"I put the following judgments before the people's Dumaan for ratification," She continued. "First, that a state of emergency be recognized; and a declaration be passed that any attack by the vahetey on the settled worlds of the murelani will create and immediate state of war. And as consequence, this government must take immediate steps to build our common fleet and army, to a scale better suited to preserve our security, by whatever methods of defense of offense may be necessary." Another round of applause.

"Second," she continued. "That an offer of mutual aid be made to our neighbors the fulkoom, who have already suffered savage assault and degradation by the vahetey,that we may make a grand alliance against this common threat. And that it be the policy of this government to extend the same invitation to any world and people to be threatened by this aggressive expansion."

"In keeping with that," she turned toward the chiss. "I extend this offer of alliance to the admiral Thrawn and the warship Chimaera, late of the Galactic Empire, who's people have already rendered much aid unasked for and unexpected. I pledge support for these new friends of the murelani people, and assistance for whatever they may do for the cause of our peace and security."

An alliance with Thrawn and the Chimaera. NOT with the Empire itself. A fine political distinction, but possibly a very important one for the success of their alliance. The applause to this were still somewhat deflated. Not everyone was happy with this arrangement.

Internally, Thrawn shared that sentiment. While this allowed him a great degree of influence, he would only have as much actual authority as murelani commanders chose to give him. It would be far better, in his mind, if he received a clear and ranking command position. But, he hadn't expected to get everything he wanted in the first round of negotiations. More would come later.

"I know," the queen intoned again. "That as we awake to this new threat, my people may come to see a fear like they have never known. As our worlds are suddenly cornered by a malignant and incomprehensible evil, many may lose heart and hope for our survival. But we can offer them hope as well as fear. They need only look to the brave ships and soldiers on our border; who, though few in number, have already struck back at the enemy. They need only to ask of the common people, living on our most distant worlds, who even now make every effort to throw invaders off of our soil. And I ask them if they will join me, and our new and powerful allies, and many more who will later come, to strike this menace down, forever!"

The cheers that followed resounded in the room. The crowd erupted into applause, with the most enthusiastic even stamping their feet. They howled at the top of their voices too, as beings caught up in the moment called for revenge, justice, and victory. But the Jaan-maia leaned heavily against the balustrade, her age suddenly very apparent now that she was quiet.

"And so it begins," Steward Daarcori grumbled.

I hope you all haven't given up on me yet! Part of the reason this chapter took so long is that I changed my plan for it more than halfway through, and had to rework some things. Please REVIEW, and let me know what you think!