Hey, everybody. Finally back with another chapter. Sorry, it's been so long, but I'll try and update more frequently from now on.
Let's get to it.
SnithPgi12: No, it is not connected to the Terran Alliance series.
Koren Flashblade: Yes, Bo-Katan will make an appearance.
Chapter 27- Final War Council
Jakan sighs a bit as he trudges across the battlefield surrounding Minas Tirith. It's been only a short time since the battle ended. All of Mordor's forces had been eradicated. The cleanup is beginning, and the Rohirrim have been welcomed into Minas Tirith. However, that is not what is concerning Jakan at the moment.
Jakan stops about 10 feet behind where Aragorn is standing. Gathered before Aragorn is the Army of the Dead, as Legolas called them. As he looks at the sight before him, he thinks to himself, I've seen a lot of weird stuff on this planet, but this may be the weirdest.
"Release us," the King of the Dead demands of Aragorn in a bit of a harsh tone. Although he had listened to Aragorn's summons as the King of Gondor, it didn't mean he trusted Aragorn.
Aragorn looks at the army calmly. However, Gimli has other things on his mind. To him, the Army of the Dead is a massive military advantage that shouldn't be thrown away. And it's that thought that makes it out of his mouth as he says, "Bad idea! Very handy in a tight spot, these lads, despite the fact they're dead."
"You gave us your word!" the king growls, incensed by Gimli's words. He feels furious at the thought that Aragorn might listen to Gimli and go back on his word. At long last, peace is finally in their grasp, and the thought of Aragorn going back on his word to give them that infuriates him.
However, Aragorn is not so inclined as Gimli is. His entire life, his word has been his life. He knows that to go back on his word now would make him worse than he always though Isildur was. He will not use broken promises to win the war, no matter the cost. It's there thoughts that go through his head as he looks right at the King of the Dead and says, "I hold your oath fulfilled. Go. Be at peace."
A look of satisfaction comes over the King's face. He slowly closes his eyes, and lets out a long sigh of relief as he feels what he considers the bands of life finally release. A feeling of relief washes over the battlefield as the army fades away.
Silence reigns for a few moments before Aragorn turns around to face his friends. He looks at Jakan. The two look at each other before nodding. Jakan then reaches up and removes his helmet as Aragorn walks over to him.
"You know you just let go of an almost guaranteed victory," Jakan says.
"No matter the cost, I honor my word," Aragorn says.
"And that's what sets you apart from everyone else. That is what makes you the king Gondor needs," Jakan says. As he says this, he realizes that before coming to Middle-Earth, he probably would've sided with Gimli. However, coming to this planet has taught him some valuable lessons.
"Now what?" Jakan asks.
"We help clean up, and see to it that everyone who is wounded is healed. Then, we will talk about our next move," Aragorn says.
Jakan slowly nods, then turns to his three Mandalorian friends behind him. "Well, friends. Time for the trough between the waves," he says. The three all nod once.
Clean up operations began immediately after the battle was over. Rohirrim and Gondorians alike worked hard to gather the fallen and bring them to a site chosen as a mass grave for the fallen. The exceptions were Denethor and Theoden. Denethor was to be buried in a tomb in Minas Tirith, while several Rohirrim had already departed back to Edoras with Theoden's body, knowing that Theoden would want to be buried alongside his son at Edoras. At the same time, corpses of the various enemies who attacked Minas Tirith were gathered for burning outside Minas Tirith.
Gathering the dead for burial was not the only task of the survivors. Men from both Gondor and Rohan had been sent out into the Pelennor Fields to find wounded Rohirrim and bring them into Minas Tirith. The four Mandalorians had joined in this effort. Their jetpacks were very useful for getting the more critically wounded to Minas Tirith quickly.
Jakan and Gar are searching together, clambering over the bodies of Orcs, Rohirrim, Horses, and the occasional Haradrim. Gar looks around and says, "***, I've never seen gore like this. Kinda glad now that we've advanced enough in the rest of the galaxy to use blasters."
"I understand you there, Gar. This is just a whole side of war we've never seen," Jakan says in a low voice.
Gar is quiet for a second before he says, "You know, before this, I was mainly fighting to help you out and just because I wanted a good fight. Now, I want to see this Sauron pay."
Jakan grins a bit under his helmet. Then, he suddenly hears a loud scream of "NOOOOO!" Jakan and Gar instantly whip their heads in the direction of the voice, and see Eomer throwing aside his helmet and sword as he runs towards something. He falls to his knees, and then pulls someone into his arms. Jakan recognizes who it is almost intantly. Eowyn.
Jakan and Gar quickly sprint over to where Eomer is now pretty much sobbing over his sister. As the two Mandalorians reach him, Jakan says urgently, "Give her to me. Quickly!"
Eomer looks up at Jakan, seemingly surprised to see him there. It takes him a second before he allows Jakan to lean down and pick Eowyn up in his arms. Jakan then turns towards Minas Tirith and activates his jetpack, taking to the air and streaking towards the White City.
With his jetpack, it takes Jakan only a minute or so to reach the city. Jakan immediately heads for the Houses of Healing, setting down just outside the entrance before hurrying in.
A healer hurries over. "What are her injuries?" he asks.
"The ones I know of? Possibly a broken arm, several lacerations. She encountered a Nazgul. I'm not sure what kind of sorcery it may have inflicted on her," Jakan says.
"Bring her this way," the healer. He then leads Jakan over to a bed. Jakan sets Eowyn down carefully, then steps away and heads for the exit as the healer begins to examine her. Jakan then heads back out to continue the search for survivors. However, in the back of his mind, something else is coming back to him again and again. The knowledge that Sauron still has many forces under his command, and it will only be a matter of time before he sends them out again.
The Fellowship and their allies are going to have start preparing for the next fight with Sauron.
Jakan shifts a little bit on his feet, his hands clasped behind his back. Night has fallen over Minas Tirith. As the rescue effort to recover the wounded on the Pelennor Fields drew to a close, Aragorn had called for a meeting in the throne room in the Citadel. Present at the meeting were Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, Legolas, Eomer, Gamling, Beregond, Gandalf, Jakan, Mirta, Fel, and Gar.
The meeting had been called to discuss the military situation in Middle Earth. As it turned out, heralds had arrived throughout the day, bringing news. A small force of Sauron's was headed towards Rohan. Sauron's forces stationed at the fortress of Dol Guldur had begun assaulting the Elven kingdoms in Lothlorien and Mirkwood. And a force of Easterlings, numbering in the tens of thousands, had begun laying siege to the city of Dale and Dwarven kingdom of Erebor. However, no incursions had been made into Gondor either from Mordor or Minas Morgul.
Now, as there is a lull in the discussion, Jakan sees Gandalf stare off into the distance before saying, "Frodo has passed beyond my sight. The darkness is deepening."
"If Sauron had the Ring, we would know it," Aragorn says calmly, while staring at the throne of Gondor.
"Are we sure? What if he's waiting for the right moment to use it when it will be of the most devastation?" Gar proposes from where he is leaning against one of the many pillars in the throne room.
"Sauron is many things. And one of them is proud. After 3000 years, he would not hide reclaiming what is his. Not when he could use it to immediately begin his conquest of Middle Earth," Aragorn says in response.
This is of no comfort to Gandalf. "It's only a matter of time. He has suffered a defeat, yes. But…behind the walls of Mordor our enemy is regrouping," the White Wizard says.
Gimli, who is sitting on the steward's chair and smoking a pipe, pulls his pipe out of his mouth and says, "Let him stay there. Let him rot! Why should we care?"
"Because ten thousand Orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom!" Gandalf responds. Gimli seems to deflate a bit at Gandalf's response.
Jakan now speaks up. "I see your concern, Gandalf. But don't underestimate Frodo and Sam. We all know their strength from our time with them, and they've made it so far just on their own. We need to have faith that they can do it," Jakan says.
"We can do more than have faith in them, Jakan," Aragorn says, drawing everyone's eyes towards him, "We can give them time and safe passage across the Plains of Gorgoroth."
"How?" Gimli asks skeptically.
"Draw out Sauron's armies! Empty his lands! We send a small force to stop the force heading towards Rohan, while we gather the rest of our forces and march on the Black Gate!" Aragorn says firmly.
Everyone looks at Aragorn in surprise at his daring. Gimli chokes a bit on some smoke from his pipe.
Eomer steps forward. "We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms. Perhaps not even with the help of our Mandalorian friends," Eomer says.
Mirta, Fel, and Gar all remain quiet at that. Knowing the odds they would be facing, they realize that Eomer is probably right. However, Jakan speaks up and says, "Eomer, we'll of course respect your wishes on whether or not Rohan's forces will take part in this assault. However, if we want any chance of defeating Sauron, this is a move we have to make, regardless of the risk."
"Jakan is right. We may not be able to achieve victory for us, but we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's eye fixed upon us," Aragorn says. He then looks at Gandalf and says, "Keep him blind to all else that moves."
Legolas smiles as he realizes what Aragorn means, and says, "A diversion."
Gimli now pipes up and says loudly, "Certainty of death! Small chance of success!...What are we waiting for?"
Gar and Fel both look at each other, and Gar mutters, "I really like this dwarf." Fel nods and smirks at that.
Gandalf, however, is unconvinced. He's still worried about one major thing. He walks slowly up to Aragorn and says, "Sauron will suspect a trap. He will not take the bait."
Aragorn looks at Gandalf and smirks slightly. "Oh, I think he will," he says, clearly knowing something that everyone else doesn't.
Jakan feels a bit uncertain as he and Aragorn approach the door leading into the throne room. Boromir had told Jakan after the council that Denethor had his own palantir. Given the palantir taken from Saruman was currently back in Edoras, Aragorn decided to use Denethor's palantir to communicate with Sauron and set his trap for Sauron. Jakan felt confident in Aragorn, but was also concerned, both given his previous encounter with Sauron through a palantir, and a suspicion that Denethor's fragile mental state the last few years might've been through consistent use of the palantir.
"Are you sure about this Aragorn?" he asks.
"I am," Aragorn says. He then pauses right before the door, then turns to Jakan. "But, in the worst case scenario that something happens to me, and I am left unfit to lead, you will command the army in my absence."
Jakan feels shocked. He is surprised that Aragorn would entrust command of the Gondorians and Rohirrim to him in the event he is left unable to. After a few moments, he says, "You'll be fine…but in the event of the worse, I won't let you down."
Aragorn smiles. "I know you won't," he says. He then turns to the door and walks into the throne room.
Jakan remains outside the door, making sure that nobody enters the throne room. Aragorn had requested to use the palantir alone, to give Sauron as little information as possible besides what Aragorn wanted him to have. However, part of him wishes he could be in with his friend.
It takes about 15 minutes before Aragorn walks back out of the throne room. Jakan is instantly concerned. The look on Aragorn's face has some concern, fear, and worry, but is mostly just ashen.
"What happened?" Jakan asks.
"He's taking the bait. That is what is important," Aragorn says. He pauses, then says, "We must begin preparations."
Jakan nods. It's then that he realizes Aragorn is not wearing the Evenstar pendant, but doesn't ask him about it.
In the top room of Barad-dur, a shadow begins to swirl around the room, as the greatest servant of the Dark Lord kneels in the center of the room.
"THE RANGER IS LEADING GONDOR AND ROHAN'S FORCES TO ATTACK US. THE MANDALORIANS WILL COME WITH THEM. YOU WILL HELP TO LEAD MY ARMIES, AND YOU WILL SEE TO IT THAT THE MANDALORIANS ARE DESTROYED," Sauron says.
"It will be done, my lord," his servant says.
And, I'll end there.
Hope you liked this chapter. Next chapter is when it'll really start picking up. However, it will be two more chapters before we get the identity of Sauron's greatest servant.
Next chapter should be up before too long. Until it's up, leave a review, and stay tuned!
