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".salvaged three E-wings that we might be able to coax into fighting condition," concluded Gavin Darklighter, finishing his materials inventory. Jacen was only half-listening to the voices that faded in and out of the conference room. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms and Iella Weissiri-Antilles began her intelligence report.
"Several agents have reported suspicious activity on Corellia. At the moment, we're unable to determine whether its simply Peace Brigade recruitment or evidence of Yuzhaan Vong infiltration. The Vong have tended to avoid the Corellian sector, so we're not concered about an advance in that direction just yet, but I have dispatched more people to check it out." She paused and shuffled through her notes. "I think everyone remembers the incident on Tatooine that we were worried might be an indication of a Yuzhaan Vong presence. Well, that fortunately turned out to be only a scuffle between local spice lords, but we are."
Jacen allowed Iella's voice to fade out again, as he eyed the others present in the conference room. Most of the Insiders were here today, he had been told, and he was surprised to see that almost everyone's face was familiar, although he supposed he shouldn't be. It was like the Rebellion all over again, and for some reason that was a very comforting idea.
His mother, who had arrived late, took a seat in the second row of chairs around the conference table, and immediately leaned forward to smack his father in the back of the head for having his feet up on the table. Han pitched forward in his seat, startled, and turned around with a very wounded look, to see Leia glaring at him pointedly. He scowled and turned back around to listen to Iella. His feet, however, were now on the floor.
Leia leaned sideways to speak in an undertone to Mara, who grinned. Jacen caught a whisper through the Force that sounded something like obedient husbands. From the glare that his Uncle Luke was suddenly directing at them from across the table, he suspected that he had heard correctly.
Corran Horn was sitting next to Wedge, who was at the head of the table, and looked like he was having a hard time keeping awake. After a minute, his chin drooped down to his chest and his lids closed, until he was suddenly jolted awake, eyes wide. Jacen imagined that this might have something to do with the fact that the hands of his wife, Mirax, who was sitting on his other side, had momentarily disappeared under the table. Corran rubbed his arm and pulled it away from the reach of his wife, before turning back towards Iella with a disgruntled look on his face. Jacen could see his mother and Mara grinning at Mirax from across the room.
So far, Jacen's first meeting of the Insiders had been relatively uneventful, giving him time to take stock of this new rebellion. Frankly, he though it was long overdue. The fight against the Yuzhaan Vong had smashed the New Republic into useless shards of the proud structure it had once been. The strain of trying to hold together the fractious splinters of what was left of the New Republic while at the same time attempting to construct some kind of coherent war machine had taken a heavy toll on the military and on those dedicated to fighting the invasion, and the price had been paid with the loss of system after system, and life after life.
At long last, the leaders of the war seemed to have found their focus in the Rebellion. By sweeping aside the splinters of the cumbersome government, they were able to pour all of their energy and resources into what was most vital: fighting the invaders. With this new mentality, Jacen hoped they would finally be able to begin the long transition from defending and retreating to aggressive attack. For the first time that he could remember since the war began, he felt the faint stirrings of pride as he looked around the room and saw the sober determination engraved on the faces of everyone present. It was with a deep sense of satisfaction that he realized that the people in this room were his family, and he would be content to fight next to any one of them.
Jacen's thoughts were broken by the sound of Wedge clearing his throat. He sat forward again as Wedge began to speak.
"We're trying to put together some battle plans for possible reclamation of occupied systems, but so far we're not having much luck." He looked up and grinned ruefully, "If anyone has any brilliant ideas, now would be the time."
In the back of the room, Wes Janson's hand shot up. Wedge glared at him in exasperation, "Preferably not any involving Ewoks as X-wing pilots." Janson, looking crushed, lowered his hand slowly. Wedge rolled his eyes and turned to Corran, saying nothing, simply staring at him expectantly. After a visible hesitation, Corran nodded.
Wedge turned back to the rest of the room and began cautiously, "Luke, we've hit upon an idea. Someone in intelligence came up with it and brought it to Iella's attention. I discussed it with Corran because it seemed to be his area of expertise. It involves the Jedi. The thing is. well, I'm not sure you'll like it Luke." Everyone seemed to collectively lean forward, so as not to miss a word. From the look on Wedge's face, it was clear that this proposal held some kind of crucial importance. The atmosphere in the room buzzed with expectation and excitement, although no one spoke. Luke, by now, was sitting forward, forearms resting on the table. He said simply, "Tell me."
Wedge nodded. "Our intelligence agents have always had a near impossible time spotting Yuzhaan Vong infiltrators. Between the ooglith masquers and the limits of our own existing technology to detect and combat them, the intelligence department has been helpless. This has crippled us in a huge way, because without the ability to tell Vong infiltrators apart from the normal crowd of suspicious citizens, we can't predict an attack on a planet. And frankly, this is becoming the most dangerous assignment I've ever seen. We're losing agents like we used to during the Rebellion, but this time they're not even in enemy territory." He paused, and rubbed his hand across his forehead in momentary frustration at the recurring, unanticipated failures during the war; intelligence was simply the first in a long list.
Luke took this opportunity to speak. "I'm not sure I see how this involves the Jedi, Wedge," he questioned, his forehead knotted in consideration. But Jacen had already guessed what Wedge was going to propose, and he could feel a thrill of excitement beginning to spark through his veins, making his nerve endings tingle. It was so perfect, yet so obvious, he couldn't believe no one had thought of it before.
Leia and Mara had also apparently realized Wedge's intentions. Their shoulders were hunched and their heads bent towards each other as they whispered furiously. Jacen could see the same enthusiasm he felt alight in Leia's eyes, but Mara was shaking her head adamantly.
Wedge continued, watching Luke closely, "Well, the basic problem is that intelligence agents can't detect the Vong, and when they do, its very difficult to detain or even fight them. The Jedi, on the other hand, can do both." Wedge stopped as he saw comprehension leaking into Luke's face.
He looked at Iella, who, at his cue, sat forward and continued even more slowly, "What we would propose, is that the Jedi work as undercover intelligence agents. They could detect the Yuzhaan Vong agent's presence, or rather, lack of presence, if I've understood you correctly. And then they could," at this point she hesitated," take care of the infiltrator. Quietly and without fuss, so that one of our own intelligence agents, disguised as the spy, could attempt to communicate with the one of the Vong commanders to gather whatever information we can. Personally, from a purely strategic standpoint, I think the combination of Jedi and intelligence could be invaluable in this war."
She nodded at Wedge that she was done, and he spoke again. "That's the general plan, anyway. But at the moment, it's just a proposal. The outcome is really dependant on what you think Luke." Wedge finished speaking, and sat back, not taking his eyes off Luke, who was rubbing his chin, looking troubled.
In Luke's silence, Corran spoke. "I hesistated with suggesting it at all, but I thought we should all dicuss it. Apart from any Force issues, it's a solid idea." He looked almost apologetically at Luke, who, although he had glanced up when Corran spoke, did not answer, still lost in thought.
The tension in the room grew until the air fairly crackled with the electricity of expectation. Although few details had been explained, Wedge's voice, tight with barely restrained excitement, had been enough. Everyone seemed fully aware of what a critical turning point this operation could be. All attention was focused on Luke.
To everyone's surprise, Han was the first to break the silence. He sat forward slowly and rested his elbows on his knees. "I'll be honest. I like the idea, but then it's not up to me. The only problem I see is that, sorry kid, but Jedi aren't exactly known for being inconspicuous. It'd be a real shame if they were spotted before they could do any good."
Wedge nodded in assurance at Han, having apparently already anticipated the issue. "The Jedi would be put through an intense, if brief, training program prior to being sent into the field. They will also be working closely with trained intelligence operatives who will carefully supervise them. I think we'll be able to select the Jedi who display an aptitude for this kind of work, so we can employ their abilities to the fullest extent."
Just as Wedge finished, Mara spoke, apparently unable to restrain herself any longer. "I don't like it," she said bluntly. "It's dangerous to use the Force like this. You're asking the Jedi to seek something out for the specific purpose of killing it. It reeks of the Dark Side."
She glanced at Luke and nodded, and he sat forward to continue. "I understand the need for it, and I certainly don't blame you for bringing it up, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this plan. It seems to me that we would be skirting the edge too closely." He shook his head contritely. "The last thing we need is masses of rogue Jedi running around. I think it's too dangerous right now to risk opening all of these Jedi to the influence of the Dark Side."
At these words, Jacen shifted restlessly in his chair. Luke looked at him with a rueful smile. "Jacen, you could always explain these things better than I. Please, go ahead."
Jacen looked distinctly uncomfortable, with his hands gripping the armrests of his chair and his jaw clenched tightly. He spoke reluctantly, forcing the words out of his mouth, "No, I can't. I'm sorry, I-I don't have anything to say."
Confused, Luke said, "Jacen, please feel free to speak up. These meetings are important, but they're very informal. I would like to hear what you think, and I know everyone values your insight." He smiled encouragingly, "Come on, I need the help anyway."
Jacen closed his eyes and drew a breath. He opened them again and a murmur of disbelief rolled through the conference room as he said, "I'm sorry Uncle Luke, truly, but I disagree with you. Completely."
--------------------------------
".salvaged three E-wings that we might be able to coax into fighting condition," concluded Gavin Darklighter, finishing his materials inventory. Jacen was only half-listening to the voices that faded in and out of the conference room. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms and Iella Weissiri-Antilles began her intelligence report.
"Several agents have reported suspicious activity on Corellia. At the moment, we're unable to determine whether its simply Peace Brigade recruitment or evidence of Yuzhaan Vong infiltration. The Vong have tended to avoid the Corellian sector, so we're not concered about an advance in that direction just yet, but I have dispatched more people to check it out." She paused and shuffled through her notes. "I think everyone remembers the incident on Tatooine that we were worried might be an indication of a Yuzhaan Vong presence. Well, that fortunately turned out to be only a scuffle between local spice lords, but we are."
Jacen allowed Iella's voice to fade out again, as he eyed the others present in the conference room. Most of the Insiders were here today, he had been told, and he was surprised to see that almost everyone's face was familiar, although he supposed he shouldn't be. It was like the Rebellion all over again, and for some reason that was a very comforting idea.
His mother, who had arrived late, took a seat in the second row of chairs around the conference table, and immediately leaned forward to smack his father in the back of the head for having his feet up on the table. Han pitched forward in his seat, startled, and turned around with a very wounded look, to see Leia glaring at him pointedly. He scowled and turned back around to listen to Iella. His feet, however, were now on the floor.
Leia leaned sideways to speak in an undertone to Mara, who grinned. Jacen caught a whisper through the Force that sounded something like obedient husbands. From the glare that his Uncle Luke was suddenly directing at them from across the table, he suspected that he had heard correctly.
Corran Horn was sitting next to Wedge, who was at the head of the table, and looked like he was having a hard time keeping awake. After a minute, his chin drooped down to his chest and his lids closed, until he was suddenly jolted awake, eyes wide. Jacen imagined that this might have something to do with the fact that the hands of his wife, Mirax, who was sitting on his other side, had momentarily disappeared under the table. Corran rubbed his arm and pulled it away from the reach of his wife, before turning back towards Iella with a disgruntled look on his face. Jacen could see his mother and Mara grinning at Mirax from across the room.
So far, Jacen's first meeting of the Insiders had been relatively uneventful, giving him time to take stock of this new rebellion. Frankly, he though it was long overdue. The fight against the Yuzhaan Vong had smashed the New Republic into useless shards of the proud structure it had once been. The strain of trying to hold together the fractious splinters of what was left of the New Republic while at the same time attempting to construct some kind of coherent war machine had taken a heavy toll on the military and on those dedicated to fighting the invasion, and the price had been paid with the loss of system after system, and life after life.
At long last, the leaders of the war seemed to have found their focus in the Rebellion. By sweeping aside the splinters of the cumbersome government, they were able to pour all of their energy and resources into what was most vital: fighting the invaders. With this new mentality, Jacen hoped they would finally be able to begin the long transition from defending and retreating to aggressive attack. For the first time that he could remember since the war began, he felt the faint stirrings of pride as he looked around the room and saw the sober determination engraved on the faces of everyone present. It was with a deep sense of satisfaction that he realized that the people in this room were his family, and he would be content to fight next to any one of them.
Jacen's thoughts were broken by the sound of Wedge clearing his throat. He sat forward again as Wedge began to speak.
"We're trying to put together some battle plans for possible reclamation of occupied systems, but so far we're not having much luck." He looked up and grinned ruefully, "If anyone has any brilliant ideas, now would be the time."
In the back of the room, Wes Janson's hand shot up. Wedge glared at him in exasperation, "Preferably not any involving Ewoks as X-wing pilots." Janson, looking crushed, lowered his hand slowly. Wedge rolled his eyes and turned to Corran, saying nothing, simply staring at him expectantly. After a visible hesitation, Corran nodded.
Wedge turned back to the rest of the room and began cautiously, "Luke, we've hit upon an idea. Someone in intelligence came up with it and brought it to Iella's attention. I discussed it with Corran because it seemed to be his area of expertise. It involves the Jedi. The thing is. well, I'm not sure you'll like it Luke." Everyone seemed to collectively lean forward, so as not to miss a word. From the look on Wedge's face, it was clear that this proposal held some kind of crucial importance. The atmosphere in the room buzzed with expectation and excitement, although no one spoke. Luke, by now, was sitting forward, forearms resting on the table. He said simply, "Tell me."
Wedge nodded. "Our intelligence agents have always had a near impossible time spotting Yuzhaan Vong infiltrators. Between the ooglith masquers and the limits of our own existing technology to detect and combat them, the intelligence department has been helpless. This has crippled us in a huge way, because without the ability to tell Vong infiltrators apart from the normal crowd of suspicious citizens, we can't predict an attack on a planet. And frankly, this is becoming the most dangerous assignment I've ever seen. We're losing agents like we used to during the Rebellion, but this time they're not even in enemy territory." He paused, and rubbed his hand across his forehead in momentary frustration at the recurring, unanticipated failures during the war; intelligence was simply the first in a long list.
Luke took this opportunity to speak. "I'm not sure I see how this involves the Jedi, Wedge," he questioned, his forehead knotted in consideration. But Jacen had already guessed what Wedge was going to propose, and he could feel a thrill of excitement beginning to spark through his veins, making his nerve endings tingle. It was so perfect, yet so obvious, he couldn't believe no one had thought of it before.
Leia and Mara had also apparently realized Wedge's intentions. Their shoulders were hunched and their heads bent towards each other as they whispered furiously. Jacen could see the same enthusiasm he felt alight in Leia's eyes, but Mara was shaking her head adamantly.
Wedge continued, watching Luke closely, "Well, the basic problem is that intelligence agents can't detect the Vong, and when they do, its very difficult to detain or even fight them. The Jedi, on the other hand, can do both." Wedge stopped as he saw comprehension leaking into Luke's face.
He looked at Iella, who, at his cue, sat forward and continued even more slowly, "What we would propose, is that the Jedi work as undercover intelligence agents. They could detect the Yuzhaan Vong agent's presence, or rather, lack of presence, if I've understood you correctly. And then they could," at this point she hesitated," take care of the infiltrator. Quietly and without fuss, so that one of our own intelligence agents, disguised as the spy, could attempt to communicate with the one of the Vong commanders to gather whatever information we can. Personally, from a purely strategic standpoint, I think the combination of Jedi and intelligence could be invaluable in this war."
She nodded at Wedge that she was done, and he spoke again. "That's the general plan, anyway. But at the moment, it's just a proposal. The outcome is really dependant on what you think Luke." Wedge finished speaking, and sat back, not taking his eyes off Luke, who was rubbing his chin, looking troubled.
In Luke's silence, Corran spoke. "I hesistated with suggesting it at all, but I thought we should all dicuss it. Apart from any Force issues, it's a solid idea." He looked almost apologetically at Luke, who, although he had glanced up when Corran spoke, did not answer, still lost in thought.
The tension in the room grew until the air fairly crackled with the electricity of expectation. Although few details had been explained, Wedge's voice, tight with barely restrained excitement, had been enough. Everyone seemed fully aware of what a critical turning point this operation could be. All attention was focused on Luke.
To everyone's surprise, Han was the first to break the silence. He sat forward slowly and rested his elbows on his knees. "I'll be honest. I like the idea, but then it's not up to me. The only problem I see is that, sorry kid, but Jedi aren't exactly known for being inconspicuous. It'd be a real shame if they were spotted before they could do any good."
Wedge nodded in assurance at Han, having apparently already anticipated the issue. "The Jedi would be put through an intense, if brief, training program prior to being sent into the field. They will also be working closely with trained intelligence operatives who will carefully supervise them. I think we'll be able to select the Jedi who display an aptitude for this kind of work, so we can employ their abilities to the fullest extent."
Just as Wedge finished, Mara spoke, apparently unable to restrain herself any longer. "I don't like it," she said bluntly. "It's dangerous to use the Force like this. You're asking the Jedi to seek something out for the specific purpose of killing it. It reeks of the Dark Side."
She glanced at Luke and nodded, and he sat forward to continue. "I understand the need for it, and I certainly don't blame you for bringing it up, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this plan. It seems to me that we would be skirting the edge too closely." He shook his head contritely. "The last thing we need is masses of rogue Jedi running around. I think it's too dangerous right now to risk opening all of these Jedi to the influence of the Dark Side."
At these words, Jacen shifted restlessly in his chair. Luke looked at him with a rueful smile. "Jacen, you could always explain these things better than I. Please, go ahead."
Jacen looked distinctly uncomfortable, with his hands gripping the armrests of his chair and his jaw clenched tightly. He spoke reluctantly, forcing the words out of his mouth, "No, I can't. I'm sorry, I-I don't have anything to say."
Confused, Luke said, "Jacen, please feel free to speak up. These meetings are important, but they're very informal. I would like to hear what you think, and I know everyone values your insight." He smiled encouragingly, "Come on, I need the help anyway."
Jacen closed his eyes and drew a breath. He opened them again and a murmur of disbelief rolled through the conference room as he said, "I'm sorry Uncle Luke, truly, but I disagree with you. Completely."
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