Title: Republic Saga - Vengeance, Chapter Four
Author: Jonathan Evans
Author email: noggins@ic24.net
Summary: Lando makes an amazing discovery about his past while Mara Jade makes several new enemies....
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns everything and I'm not making any money off of this nor do I intend to (I'd like to but that's not the point). You can distribute this freely provided that it's complete with this disclaimer and give the writer credit where credit's due.
REPUBLIC SAGA
VENGEANCE
CHAPTER FOUR
The Republic base on New Naboo was a busy as ever. In the Military
room plans were continually being made for the future attack on
Coruscant, some officers not knowing of the mission to the Mandalore.
Lando Calrissian wandered through the grey durasteel corridors, each
one the same as the last with only the occasional number to give the
sign that you were actually headed somewhere. He seemed drawn by an
unknown force, perhaps even THE Force, to the entrance of the Jedi
Council chambers. He stood by the door, looking at it while emotions
filled his entire body. He didn't know if it was anger or confusion,
or maybe even both, but it was powerful. Part of him wanted to walk in
there and blast the hell out of them all for leaving him in the
state he now was while the other wanted to demand answers.
"Come in..." a voice in his head called out. He walked forward and
the massive door slid open. The only Council member present was
Adi Gallia - just the woman he wanted to see right now. He tried
to remain emotionless as he spoke. "You know why I'm here." She nodded
in reply. "Then you're going to help me."
"No," Gallia responded. "You know of my feelings toward clones. Your
kind were used to aid in the wiping out of the Jedi. It may have
been over twenty five years for most of the galaxy but for myself
and the rest of the survivors it has been barely one.."
Lando's anger continued to build up as he listened to the Jedi
Master's words. "You say 'my kind' but I don't know anything
about that. And I wouldn't have unless you had told. Surely *you*
are the one that's made me the threat to you that you claim I am!"
"You are the most dangerous of all the clones. Your faults made
you that way."
"And why is that exactly?" Lando asked.
"When the early experiments began it was intended to create being
invisible to the Force - without midi-chlorians in their blood.
That way they could strike without us knowing..."
"But something went wrong when I was..." He couldn't even say
the word. He hated the idea of being artificial and he wasn't
going to think of himself that way - ever.
"... when you were created, yes," Gallia said finishing his
sentence. She didn't seem to care what his feelings were.
Lando's hate began to swell as she continued. "The early
types, it was discovered, were not only visible to the Force
but their abilities were heightened and the possibility of
falling the the Dark Side greater." She paused. "Surely you
didn't think it was skill that made you such a good gambler?"
That remark hurt Lando. He had worked hard to be the man he was
and now she was saying it was the Force that made it possible.
Something suddenly struck him like a jolt of lightening.
"Did you say that I can use the Force? That I can be a Jedi?"
After several seconds the Council member nodded. "The Sith
played an important part in the Clone Wars. Emperor Palpatine
was one himself as you know but by having armies of Force
sensitive warriors who also have free will, another major flaw
in itself, there was a risk to his status. Only two Sith are
allowed at one time - Darth Bane himself stated it - and if
the clones became more powerful they could potentially overthrow
him and change his plans..."
"So he had us scrapped and replaced with drones who may not
have been as powerful but were not a threat to his leadership.
Clever bastard."
Gallia nodded. She did not believe Calrissian would take the
news as easily as he did and even sensed that he accepted it.
Maybe he wasn't as bad as she always thought. Maybe he was the
person he claimed to be - self made gambler and sauve Rebel
general. Perhaps there was no knowledge of his past hidden
deeply in his subconsious. Adi Gallia was filled with guilt -
she was the one wrong here, thinking just because he was
created in a laboratory, he wasn't evil.
"I am sorry," she said with her head bowed.
"What?"
"I have been wrong here and I want to make it up to you,"
she confessed. "You want to discover yourself and I will aid
you in your quest. Just tell me what you want."
"Well," Lando smiled. "There is just one thing..."
* * * * * * * *
The disguised Mandalore vessel lifted from the surface of
Chakran where it had spent the last day being forced through
several inspections which it passed with flying colors much
to the annoyance of the small group of Imperial troops that
struggled to maintain control over the smugglers. It had been
a long hard year for them since the death of the Emperor along
with the destruction of the Death Star and now freedom was
returning their iron fist could no longer remain closed.
Inside the vessel Anakin, Leia and Keylar remained in the
cockpit until they were sure that they were well away from
any patrols before relaxing. Anakin took a seat next to the
ambassador as he inputted the hyperspace co-ordinates. "So,
how far away is Yarori?" he asked.
"About two days. We tried to stay as close to the edge of the
galaxy as possible. Even Outer Rim planets like Tatooine were
to close to the centre."
"That's understandable given your situation," Anakin replied.
"But what I'd like to know is how you survived the Empire
once it turned against you."
Keylar's motions showed this part of his race's history
affected him personally. "They needed us to get the cloning
technology from Naboo but with their new army the Empire
only considered us a threat. Our former allies were now our
new enemies and they were more powerful than either the Jedi
or the remnants of the Old Republic - they knew our weaknesses.
It wasn't long before we could fight no more..."
"And the Mandalore always fought to the death," Anakin continued,
knowing exactly what was going through the ambassador's mind.
"To be losing hurt you. You had to do what your sacred rites
spoke outwardly against. You ran from battle."
Keylar nodded. "It was hard for us all but we have returned and
we will get our revenge."
While the conversation was happening, Leia had slipped out of
the cockpit into the small space that had been designated her
own. She sat and called out her brother's name and his ghostly
image appeared, lighting up the entire room. "What is it you
called me for, sister?" he asked.
"I was wondering if you had any prophecies about what I am
about to do. You are closer to the Force than anyone I know
and..."
"Yes?" Luke replied in a calm, loving voice.
"Imiss you," Leia smiled sadly.
"I am always with you Leia," he told her.
"Yes, but it's not the same. I want to see you, be with you."
Luke reached out his hand and touches Leia's cheek. Even though
it wasn't physically there she could feel the warmth eminating
from him. She looked into his eyes and nodded. "Thank you. I'm
so glad you're here in whatever form it may be, but I wish you
could help us by..."
"You know that isn't possible. Vader killed me and you avenged
my death by not giving in to the hatred. By doing that you became
more of a Jedi than I could ever have been."
"Don't say that!" she scolded him. "You know that isn't true."
"Oh, but it is. Through you I will live on - the Jedi will live
on. I forsee a long future ahead of you."
"But will it be easy?"
"Is anything ever easy?" he said as he disappeared into thin air,
his voice trailing off slowly, flowing through Leia.
* * * * * * * *
Meanwhile, another ship passed through the Imperial probes into
the reaches of space. Mara Jade hacked into the hyperspace computer
of the Mandalore vessel and with the co-ordinates locked on, jumped
to lightspeed just seconds after her intended prey. She turned to
the droid at her side. "You take control, I've got something to do."
Tthe robot nodded and began pressing buttons furiously in order to
take over the running of the starship.
Mara took the short walk to her quarters where she began to remove
her clothing she wore to get onto the outpost on Chakran and replaced
them with a black catsuit which would aid her undercover infiltration
when they arrived at their destination, wherever that may be. She
reattached her belt which contained a small blaster and more
importantly, her trusty lightsaber - the only weapon that should
ever be used when facing Jedi.
* * * * * * * *
In the cargo hold of Mara's ship, a shadowy figure emerged from
the darkness, the large horns protruding from his red skinned
forheaed creating the kind of fear that his race was used to.
The Devaronian stepped out into the lowly enlightened corridor
with a grin on his face.
"Villie make sure traitor woman dead now..." he smiled.
* * * * * * * *
The Republic archive was filled from floor to ceiling with datapads,
old fashioned books and even the occasional Jedi Holocron. Lando
picked one up and examined it closely trying to work out what
it was and how it was turned on. Without needing to open his
mouth, Gallia took it from him and it burst into light, activated
by her touch. The green holographic Jedi Master that was projected
from the top addressed them without even looking in their
direction.
"Many questions arise," it began. "Some are answered while others
are not. I am Master Vakros Tannin, guardian of the sacred Jedi
Holocron." There was a pause as Lando turned to Gallia who
motioned for him to continue watching the hologram. "In the
past there were many now there are merely a few. Look to the
dark planet and you will find what you are looking for..."
It vanished as quickly as it had appeared while Lando looked to
his companion with a smile on his face. "It coulda been a little
less vague but I'm guessing it means there's someone else like
me out there... That I have..."
"...a brother?"
"Yeah," Calrissian said, his smile turning into a large grin.
"I've got a brother."
Gallia looked at the ornate blue cube in her hand. "But the
question remains - where is he?"
"The Dark Planet?" Lando pondered. "Coruscant maybe."
The Jedi shook her head. "I do not believe that is true.
As far as I know it has never been referred to as that since
it became the head of the Galactic Republic."
"And that was a long time ago. Maybe we could find it
somewhere in here." He walked over to a pile of datapads and
picked the first one he saw up. Upon activating it he smiled.
"Planetary names during the reign of the Galactic Republic...
Too good to be true maybe?"
"Or perhaps your Force powers emerging?"
"I doubt that," Lando replied, wanting to put the idea of him
possibly becoming a Jedi behind him. Far behind him. He looked
over the information that he had collected. "I'll try running
a search for dark planet... Should be a start."
Lando smiled as the information he wanted seem to come up
almost instantly. "Here it is! Nar Shadaa - the Hutt's little
safe haven."
"Looks like we've got a journey on our hands," the Jedi Master
replied.
"*We*?" Lando asked. "You're coming along too?"
"Of course. I wish to help you all I can. It is the only way
I can make it up to you for my doubts."
Calrissian nodded slightly. "Y'know, there's no need for that."
He paused then quickly resumed what he was saying. "That's not
saying I don't need company. That journey'll probably be pretty
dull on my own."
Adi smiled back at him as they left the room.
* * * * * * * *
Elsewhere in a hyperspace corridor heading to Yarori, Mara
Jade's vessel was carefully follwing the Mandalore starship
without being detected. The control droid ensured they were
far enough out of sensor range that they could make the
voyage safely.
"Hello droid-being..." a voice said behind it. PQ-8 looked
around and received a blast in the middle of its head for its
efforts. Villie pushed the metal carcass aside and looked
at the computer. "Ah, we are heading for far far planet.
This interesting," he pondered as he left the cockpit and
walked into the corridor leading towards the lone crew
quarters. He pulled the door open with all the strength he
had and looked inside. The lights were down low so it took
the Devaronian mercenary several seconds to adjust to the
darkness.
He stepped into the room fully and examined it carefully.
Something was wrong. The door slammed shut behind him and
at the same instant a viewscreen activated. Mara's face
was on it, obviously pre-recorded.
"Welcome to my starship," she remarked. "I don't know who
you are but I'm guessing Thrawn sent you. Don't feel too
bad about being caught - you've done better than most have
just by getting on board. The vessel is set to self destruct
in several seconds. You may be dying but think of it this way:
you'll make a great message back to the Emperor. Bye!"
The screen turned off and panic filled Villie's eyes. He ran
back to the door but couldn't open it. Magnetically sealed!
He bashed on it as hard as he could but to no avail...
* * * * * * * *
The single escape pod shot from the bottom of the starship
just as it burst into a supernova, creating a spectacular heavenly
display. Mara looked back at it, knowing if things went wrong
now she was trapped. She straightened herself out. There was
no time for doubting her own abilities - she could do this and
she was going to. No matter how hard Leia Skywalker pleaded
for her life. The red haired woman smiled.
* * * * * * * *
On Coruscant a blinding vision filled Thrawn's head. He
clawed at his hair until the pain died away. His aides
looked at him and were obviously concerned - for their
own lives. If the Emperor wanted to take his anger out
on anyone right now it would be them. Their worry was
sated when Thrawn motioned for them to leave him alone,
a task which they did at a speed they never thought they
would be able to reach in their entire lives.
The Emperor finally looked up with a frown on his face.
This had proved it to him - he was now able to use the
Force, a gift he knew nothing about the origin of but
it was beginning to serve him well even if it caused
him pain. He pressed a button on the arm rest of his
throne and the holographic image of an Imperial officer
appeared.
"My Lord," he said. "You have called me?"
"Yes," Thrawn hissed. "I want you to prepare for an attack
on the outer galaxy planet of Yarori. Mobilise all troops
and expect heavy casualties."
"Sir, are you... sure?"
"I am sure. I want this threat wiped off the face of
the galaxy forever."
The officer nodded and the link ended. Thrawn sat back
into the throne, the large, ornate bones that created massive
spikes above him causing a shadow to fall over his eyes.
He frowned. "This time things will be different."
TO BE CONTINUED.....
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Having started the Republic Saga I am planning to begin a web site that will not only archive the main chapters (starting with 'Revenge of the Jedi' and going through 'Vengeance' and beyond...) but also act as an encyclopedia and more of this alternate universe saga. I'm asking anyone who is interested in taking part - be that in web design, photo manipulation (to create images of the new characters as well as altered versions of the more well known ones) and writing (to work on prequels, background stories and other things). To find out more or if you want to help out, mail me at noggins@ic24.net
The site is currently located at:
http://angelfire.com/scifi/republicsaga
Author: Jonathan Evans
Author email: noggins@ic24.net
Summary: Lando makes an amazing discovery about his past while Mara Jade makes several new enemies....
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns everything and I'm not making any money off of this nor do I intend to (I'd like to but that's not the point). You can distribute this freely provided that it's complete with this disclaimer and give the writer credit where credit's due.
REPUBLIC SAGA
VENGEANCE
CHAPTER FOUR
The Republic base on New Naboo was a busy as ever. In the Military
room plans were continually being made for the future attack on
Coruscant, some officers not knowing of the mission to the Mandalore.
Lando Calrissian wandered through the grey durasteel corridors, each
one the same as the last with only the occasional number to give the
sign that you were actually headed somewhere. He seemed drawn by an
unknown force, perhaps even THE Force, to the entrance of the Jedi
Council chambers. He stood by the door, looking at it while emotions
filled his entire body. He didn't know if it was anger or confusion,
or maybe even both, but it was powerful. Part of him wanted to walk in
there and blast the hell out of them all for leaving him in the
state he now was while the other wanted to demand answers.
"Come in..." a voice in his head called out. He walked forward and
the massive door slid open. The only Council member present was
Adi Gallia - just the woman he wanted to see right now. He tried
to remain emotionless as he spoke. "You know why I'm here." She nodded
in reply. "Then you're going to help me."
"No," Gallia responded. "You know of my feelings toward clones. Your
kind were used to aid in the wiping out of the Jedi. It may have
been over twenty five years for most of the galaxy but for myself
and the rest of the survivors it has been barely one.."
Lando's anger continued to build up as he listened to the Jedi
Master's words. "You say 'my kind' but I don't know anything
about that. And I wouldn't have unless you had told. Surely *you*
are the one that's made me the threat to you that you claim I am!"
"You are the most dangerous of all the clones. Your faults made
you that way."
"And why is that exactly?" Lando asked.
"When the early experiments began it was intended to create being
invisible to the Force - without midi-chlorians in their blood.
That way they could strike without us knowing..."
"But something went wrong when I was..." He couldn't even say
the word. He hated the idea of being artificial and he wasn't
going to think of himself that way - ever.
"... when you were created, yes," Gallia said finishing his
sentence. She didn't seem to care what his feelings were.
Lando's hate began to swell as she continued. "The early
types, it was discovered, were not only visible to the Force
but their abilities were heightened and the possibility of
falling the the Dark Side greater." She paused. "Surely you
didn't think it was skill that made you such a good gambler?"
That remark hurt Lando. He had worked hard to be the man he was
and now she was saying it was the Force that made it possible.
Something suddenly struck him like a jolt of lightening.
"Did you say that I can use the Force? That I can be a Jedi?"
After several seconds the Council member nodded. "The Sith
played an important part in the Clone Wars. Emperor Palpatine
was one himself as you know but by having armies of Force
sensitive warriors who also have free will, another major flaw
in itself, there was a risk to his status. Only two Sith are
allowed at one time - Darth Bane himself stated it - and if
the clones became more powerful they could potentially overthrow
him and change his plans..."
"So he had us scrapped and replaced with drones who may not
have been as powerful but were not a threat to his leadership.
Clever bastard."
Gallia nodded. She did not believe Calrissian would take the
news as easily as he did and even sensed that he accepted it.
Maybe he wasn't as bad as she always thought. Maybe he was the
person he claimed to be - self made gambler and sauve Rebel
general. Perhaps there was no knowledge of his past hidden
deeply in his subconsious. Adi Gallia was filled with guilt -
she was the one wrong here, thinking just because he was
created in a laboratory, he wasn't evil.
"I am sorry," she said with her head bowed.
"What?"
"I have been wrong here and I want to make it up to you,"
she confessed. "You want to discover yourself and I will aid
you in your quest. Just tell me what you want."
"Well," Lando smiled. "There is just one thing..."
* * * * * * * *
The disguised Mandalore vessel lifted from the surface of
Chakran where it had spent the last day being forced through
several inspections which it passed with flying colors much
to the annoyance of the small group of Imperial troops that
struggled to maintain control over the smugglers. It had been
a long hard year for them since the death of the Emperor along
with the destruction of the Death Star and now freedom was
returning their iron fist could no longer remain closed.
Inside the vessel Anakin, Leia and Keylar remained in the
cockpit until they were sure that they were well away from
any patrols before relaxing. Anakin took a seat next to the
ambassador as he inputted the hyperspace co-ordinates. "So,
how far away is Yarori?" he asked.
"About two days. We tried to stay as close to the edge of the
galaxy as possible. Even Outer Rim planets like Tatooine were
to close to the centre."
"That's understandable given your situation," Anakin replied.
"But what I'd like to know is how you survived the Empire
once it turned against you."
Keylar's motions showed this part of his race's history
affected him personally. "They needed us to get the cloning
technology from Naboo but with their new army the Empire
only considered us a threat. Our former allies were now our
new enemies and they were more powerful than either the Jedi
or the remnants of the Old Republic - they knew our weaknesses.
It wasn't long before we could fight no more..."
"And the Mandalore always fought to the death," Anakin continued,
knowing exactly what was going through the ambassador's mind.
"To be losing hurt you. You had to do what your sacred rites
spoke outwardly against. You ran from battle."
Keylar nodded. "It was hard for us all but we have returned and
we will get our revenge."
While the conversation was happening, Leia had slipped out of
the cockpit into the small space that had been designated her
own. She sat and called out her brother's name and his ghostly
image appeared, lighting up the entire room. "What is it you
called me for, sister?" he asked.
"I was wondering if you had any prophecies about what I am
about to do. You are closer to the Force than anyone I know
and..."
"Yes?" Luke replied in a calm, loving voice.
"Imiss you," Leia smiled sadly.
"I am always with you Leia," he told her.
"Yes, but it's not the same. I want to see you, be with you."
Luke reached out his hand and touches Leia's cheek. Even though
it wasn't physically there she could feel the warmth eminating
from him. She looked into his eyes and nodded. "Thank you. I'm
so glad you're here in whatever form it may be, but I wish you
could help us by..."
"You know that isn't possible. Vader killed me and you avenged
my death by not giving in to the hatred. By doing that you became
more of a Jedi than I could ever have been."
"Don't say that!" she scolded him. "You know that isn't true."
"Oh, but it is. Through you I will live on - the Jedi will live
on. I forsee a long future ahead of you."
"But will it be easy?"
"Is anything ever easy?" he said as he disappeared into thin air,
his voice trailing off slowly, flowing through Leia.
* * * * * * * *
Meanwhile, another ship passed through the Imperial probes into
the reaches of space. Mara Jade hacked into the hyperspace computer
of the Mandalore vessel and with the co-ordinates locked on, jumped
to lightspeed just seconds after her intended prey. She turned to
the droid at her side. "You take control, I've got something to do."
Tthe robot nodded and began pressing buttons furiously in order to
take over the running of the starship.
Mara took the short walk to her quarters where she began to remove
her clothing she wore to get onto the outpost on Chakran and replaced
them with a black catsuit which would aid her undercover infiltration
when they arrived at their destination, wherever that may be. She
reattached her belt which contained a small blaster and more
importantly, her trusty lightsaber - the only weapon that should
ever be used when facing Jedi.
* * * * * * * *
In the cargo hold of Mara's ship, a shadowy figure emerged from
the darkness, the large horns protruding from his red skinned
forheaed creating the kind of fear that his race was used to.
The Devaronian stepped out into the lowly enlightened corridor
with a grin on his face.
"Villie make sure traitor woman dead now..." he smiled.
* * * * * * * *
The Republic archive was filled from floor to ceiling with datapads,
old fashioned books and even the occasional Jedi Holocron. Lando
picked one up and examined it closely trying to work out what
it was and how it was turned on. Without needing to open his
mouth, Gallia took it from him and it burst into light, activated
by her touch. The green holographic Jedi Master that was projected
from the top addressed them without even looking in their
direction.
"Many questions arise," it began. "Some are answered while others
are not. I am Master Vakros Tannin, guardian of the sacred Jedi
Holocron." There was a pause as Lando turned to Gallia who
motioned for him to continue watching the hologram. "In the
past there were many now there are merely a few. Look to the
dark planet and you will find what you are looking for..."
It vanished as quickly as it had appeared while Lando looked to
his companion with a smile on his face. "It coulda been a little
less vague but I'm guessing it means there's someone else like
me out there... That I have..."
"...a brother?"
"Yeah," Calrissian said, his smile turning into a large grin.
"I've got a brother."
Gallia looked at the ornate blue cube in her hand. "But the
question remains - where is he?"
"The Dark Planet?" Lando pondered. "Coruscant maybe."
The Jedi shook her head. "I do not believe that is true.
As far as I know it has never been referred to as that since
it became the head of the Galactic Republic."
"And that was a long time ago. Maybe we could find it
somewhere in here." He walked over to a pile of datapads and
picked the first one he saw up. Upon activating it he smiled.
"Planetary names during the reign of the Galactic Republic...
Too good to be true maybe?"
"Or perhaps your Force powers emerging?"
"I doubt that," Lando replied, wanting to put the idea of him
possibly becoming a Jedi behind him. Far behind him. He looked
over the information that he had collected. "I'll try running
a search for dark planet... Should be a start."
Lando smiled as the information he wanted seem to come up
almost instantly. "Here it is! Nar Shadaa - the Hutt's little
safe haven."
"Looks like we've got a journey on our hands," the Jedi Master
replied.
"*We*?" Lando asked. "You're coming along too?"
"Of course. I wish to help you all I can. It is the only way
I can make it up to you for my doubts."
Calrissian nodded slightly. "Y'know, there's no need for that."
He paused then quickly resumed what he was saying. "That's not
saying I don't need company. That journey'll probably be pretty
dull on my own."
Adi smiled back at him as they left the room.
* * * * * * * *
Elsewhere in a hyperspace corridor heading to Yarori, Mara
Jade's vessel was carefully follwing the Mandalore starship
without being detected. The control droid ensured they were
far enough out of sensor range that they could make the
voyage safely.
"Hello droid-being..." a voice said behind it. PQ-8 looked
around and received a blast in the middle of its head for its
efforts. Villie pushed the metal carcass aside and looked
at the computer. "Ah, we are heading for far far planet.
This interesting," he pondered as he left the cockpit and
walked into the corridor leading towards the lone crew
quarters. He pulled the door open with all the strength he
had and looked inside. The lights were down low so it took
the Devaronian mercenary several seconds to adjust to the
darkness.
He stepped into the room fully and examined it carefully.
Something was wrong. The door slammed shut behind him and
at the same instant a viewscreen activated. Mara's face
was on it, obviously pre-recorded.
"Welcome to my starship," she remarked. "I don't know who
you are but I'm guessing Thrawn sent you. Don't feel too
bad about being caught - you've done better than most have
just by getting on board. The vessel is set to self destruct
in several seconds. You may be dying but think of it this way:
you'll make a great message back to the Emperor. Bye!"
The screen turned off and panic filled Villie's eyes. He ran
back to the door but couldn't open it. Magnetically sealed!
He bashed on it as hard as he could but to no avail...
* * * * * * * *
The single escape pod shot from the bottom of the starship
just as it burst into a supernova, creating a spectacular heavenly
display. Mara looked back at it, knowing if things went wrong
now she was trapped. She straightened herself out. There was
no time for doubting her own abilities - she could do this and
she was going to. No matter how hard Leia Skywalker pleaded
for her life. The red haired woman smiled.
* * * * * * * *
On Coruscant a blinding vision filled Thrawn's head. He
clawed at his hair until the pain died away. His aides
looked at him and were obviously concerned - for their
own lives. If the Emperor wanted to take his anger out
on anyone right now it would be them. Their worry was
sated when Thrawn motioned for them to leave him alone,
a task which they did at a speed they never thought they
would be able to reach in their entire lives.
The Emperor finally looked up with a frown on his face.
This had proved it to him - he was now able to use the
Force, a gift he knew nothing about the origin of but
it was beginning to serve him well even if it caused
him pain. He pressed a button on the arm rest of his
throne and the holographic image of an Imperial officer
appeared.
"My Lord," he said. "You have called me?"
"Yes," Thrawn hissed. "I want you to prepare for an attack
on the outer galaxy planet of Yarori. Mobilise all troops
and expect heavy casualties."
"Sir, are you... sure?"
"I am sure. I want this threat wiped off the face of
the galaxy forever."
The officer nodded and the link ended. Thrawn sat back
into the throne, the large, ornate bones that created massive
spikes above him causing a shadow to fall over his eyes.
He frowned. "This time things will be different."
TO BE CONTINUED.....
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Having started the Republic Saga I am planning to begin a web site that will not only archive the main chapters (starting with 'Revenge of the Jedi' and going through 'Vengeance' and beyond...) but also act as an encyclopedia and more of this alternate universe saga. I'm asking anyone who is interested in taking part - be that in web design, photo manipulation (to create images of the new characters as well as altered versions of the more well known ones) and writing (to work on prequels, background stories and other things). To find out more or if you want to help out, mail me at noggins@ic24.net
The site is currently located at:
http://angelfire.com/scifi/republicsaga